Alchemic Justice
by WafflesTheApprentice
Summary: Sequel to "Sandman Unlimited". Keemia Marko is now Djinn, a sorceress who is eager to become a member of the Justice League alongside her friends and fellow sidekicks. However, they are instead made into their own superhero team, one designed for stealth and espionage. There is always trouble however, for on the horizon looms Endless Destruction!
1. Independence Day

**Well folks, I'm back!**

 **My brief hiatus is over, and I now return with the first chapter of my first ever sequel!**

 **Hopefully this lives up to the hype, as well as the legacy of the original. I feel "Sandman Unlimited" set a decent bar for it, but I think it should be good. I hope you guys enjoy it too!**

 **But first, I have a few questions left after the last chapter of it's predecessor to be addressed:**

 **CRUDEN: Not likely. I love them to death, don't get me wrong (Gillen and McKelvie's Young Avengers is one of my favourite comics), but they won't be appearing much, if at all.**

 **Guest: Nope. It's not quite that far in the future.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: I'm glad you enjoyed the finale of the last story my friend, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Now to answer your questions 1) Maybe, I do have one planned for the near future based of a certain event involving a certain Robin... 2) There might be some inspiration drawn from it, but it won't have much basis from the original Young Justice comic. 3) Oh you might see the Squad some more. Shark and Frost will have major parts to play in this sequel ;)**

 **Spartan of Chaos: No, not really. Sorry**

 **7-Eleventh: No I did not confuse Barry with Bart. I will address this at the end of the chapter briefly, but I did not confuse them. Keemia also already has a codename. As alluded to in "The Once and Future Thing Part 2" her codename will be Djinn. I do have plans for CADMUS, and you'll see just how they fit into all of this. Cole will not be a part of this team, mostly because in the current Marvel canon, she is currently about 25 and leading her own life outside of superheroics.**

 **MoonWolfAtlantis: There will not be a relationship between Elsa Bloodstone and Constantine. At least, not one that's more than their usual flirting banter. As for a Marvel character with the Helmet of Fate... Well that would just be spoilers.**

 **Alright, that should cover all of the questions. As always, I love each and every one I get, it means so much every time. Be sure to leave as many as you'd like after this first chapter here,along with any other comments. I love to read them.**

 **There will be some housekeeping at the end of this chapter, but for now? Let's move onto the disclaimer yet again!**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-made story. Young Justice, the Justice League and all related characters are owned by DC and Warner Brothers. Sandman and Keemia Marko are owned by Marvel comics and therefore Disney (even though they are only now remembering that Keemia exists). Please support the official releases.**

 **And now, the moment you've all been waiting for; the first chapter of Alchemic Justice!**

* * *

 **Gotham City – July 4, 12:00 EDT**

Today was a very special day. All across the country, citizens were celebrating the Fourth of July with barbecues and parties, preparing for the night's festivities and fireworks. In Gotham Central Park, there were several families enjoying their own barbecue lunches. Grills cooked burgers, while teenagers threw Frisbees and dogs happily ran around with their owners. There was a collective feeling of fun and enjoyment that permeated everyone.

At least until the screaming began.

It happened suddenly, and without any warning, but large spires of ice were suddenly blasted into existence before the panicked onlookers. Several people attempted to run, only for beams of ice to freeze them solid, as a chilling fog crept all about the park.

Atop a rocky outcrop, large icicles and ice structures formed, as heavy metal boots climbed across the newly formed ice. The perpetrator smirked dangerously as he surveyed his handiwork. Mr. Freeze; Gotham rogue specializing in cryogenics, and a frequent foe of the bat-family. He looked at the panicked citizens as he aimed his gun towards them. "Enjoying family time?" he asked before letting loose another blast and freezing several more of the fleeing citizens.

He then slid down one of the ice slides created by his attack looking around the rapidly emptying park. "My family has other plans" he chuckled, preparing to attack again. However, before he could fire, two batarangs collided with his hand, knocking his aim off course and distracting him.

He raised his eyebrow, looking around for the supposed source that he knew all too well. "Batman? I was wondering when you…" he began, before turning to retaliate. However, all that he saw was a now empty park.

He continued to watch the perimeter, as a new noise suddenly made itself known; a youthful, mocking laughter could be heard from the surrounding treeline.

As Freeze continued to look for the source of the laughter, two boots suddenly landed firmly on his glass-domed helmet, knocking him to the ground. The attacker was Robin, alias Tim Drake. He was the latest hero to take on this moniker, and sported a black and red version of the costume, as opposed to the original red and green that Dick Grayson, the first Robin, donned. As he landed on the ground across from Freeze, he threw two birdarangs, which promptly cracked the glass of the dome.

Freeze groaned in annoyance as he looked at the smirking Robin. "Oh… Boy Wonder. The bat sent you to drag me off to prison?" he asked, almost bemused as he stood up again. "Frankly I'm, underwhelmed"

Robin's smirk was soon replaced with a scowl as he folded his arms. "Great, but I'm kinda in a hurry here!"

Freeze let out a hearty chuckle at that as he raised his cold gun again, aiming at the sidekick. He shook his head wistfully. "Kids… Always in such a rush"

Robin seemed entirely unfazed by the weapon pointed at him, as he focused on something behind the villain. "Wasn't talking to you" he mocked in a sing-song voice as Freeze all too late realized what he meant.

The villain turned quickly as a sudden shadow leapt into the air, blotting out the sun from Freeze's view; Batman had arrived, leaping into the air and extending his cape out like a pair of great leather wings.

The villain scarcely had time to gasp before the vigilante dived, punching straight through the cracked glass.

* * *

 **Star City – July 4, 09:01 PDT**

Early in the morning, several cars found themselves travelling across the suspension bridge on their way to work. The slow moving traffic would soon be interrupted as a skinny figure dove into the street, before standing quickly as numerous large spires of ice spring forth from the ground. As a result, several cars were sent flying through the air, while even more collided with each other in an effort to avoid the icy hazard.

The figure who caused all this stood, watching the chaos with manic glee as he least out a crazed cackle. This was Icicle Jr, the son of the notorious rogue Icicle. His father was well known in his heyday for giving the JSA quite a bit of trouble, and it seemed his son has taken up the family tradition.

Jr was a very thin and gangly teenager, with spiked hair and a pointed chin. His left arm and shoulder seemed to swell with ever growing icicles, making it look much larger than it actually was.

He continued to cackle in glee at the havoc he was causing before several arrows impacted the large ice spire he had conjured earlier. An additional arrow embedded itself into the ice on his shoulder before all of them began to beep rapidly. Within seconds, they all sequentially exploded, stunning the villain as he stumbled around clumsily.

Once he had gathered his bearings he looked up to one of the towers of the bridge only to see Green Arrow and Speedy, the archer vigilantes of Star City, looking down at him as they each prepared another arrow in their respective bows.

Instead of being annoyed by the presence of the heroes, Icicle Jr grinned madly. "Finally! I was wondering what a guy had to do to get a little attention around here!" he said sinisterly before massive claws of ice grew from his fingers and crawled along his arms to his shoulders. He then threw the large ice spikes at the two archers, before making more to keep up the barrage.

"Junior's doing this for attention?" Speedy asked incredulously, as he and Ollie fired a volley of arrows to destroy the shards in mid-air.

Ollie simply smirked with a sidelong glance to his sidekick. "Like you never fought glory hogs when you were with the Titans"

"Not the point!" Roy snapped back before returning his focus to the ice. Years earlier he and Nightwing had decided to break free from their mentors in order to found their own superhero team. Alongside Troia, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Garth, the first Aqualad, they had made a veritable team that proved very strong in their own right. However, after only a year the team went their separate ways. They occasionally reunited, but they never fully formed again.

Speedy had opted instead to become a reserve member of the League, something that always irked him, believing it to be demeaning in a way. As such, he reluctantly went back to Green Arrow, if only to make sure he had a close contact within the League itself.

Despite their arrows destroying most of the ice, eventually they had to go on the defensive as they moved to avoid the last of the shards. The shards struck the tower, creating small ice spires as the two archers leapt onto a nearby support cable, before running along it to continue firing arrows at the cryogenic villain.

"I'm telling you now, this little distraction better not interfere!" Roy said, his annoyance clearly displayed as they fired two arrows at the villain. Icicle quickly made a large shield of ice to protect himself, but the arrows proved to be explosive as they blasted a large hole in the poorly constructed defense.

Jr growled in frustration before throwing a large shard right at Roy. Roy simply leapt off of the cable, back flipping over the ice shard as he readied and fired another arrow before nimbly landing on the ground. His arrow flew quickly, before striking Jr across the face and sending him to the ground, knocked out cold.

Jr's unconscious body slid along the ground for a bit, before Arrow landed next to it, smirking. "Heh, kid had a glass jaw" he quipped as Roy approached.

"Hilarious, now can we go?" he asked impatiently. "Today's the day!"

* * *

 **Pearl Harbour – July 4, 06:02 HST**

Early in the morning hours, the sun slowly rose over the large battleships which were docked in the infamous port. Large icebergs surrounded them, and frost crept along the steel decks quickly, several large ice structures already littered all along one of the larger ships. Snow peacefully fell in large flakes all around the ships as a lone woman smirked from the bow of the largest ship.

Killer Frost was carefully watching the two heroes attempting to apprehend her as she fired several beams of ice at them. Aquaman easily dodged several as he leapt onto the lower deck, pursuing her. However, one of the blasts caught him, freezing him up to his neck.

He struggled within the ice, scowling before he was suddenly tackled by the newly arrived King Shark, who had climbed up the side of the ship before attempting to pummel the Atlantean King.

While the two were distracted however, Kaldur'ahm leapt over them as he continued his pursuit of the cold-hearted villainess. He was the newest bearer of the Aqualad mantle, after Garth had opted for the new name of Tempest.

Aquaman had Shark in a tight headlock as he watched his protégé run down the deck. "Don't tell me you're not excited" the King asked with a small smirk, before slamming his opponent into the deck of the ship. He followed up with several powerful punches, while Kaldur simply shook his head.

"Right now my king? I'm more focused on the matter at hand" he said, easily dodging another one of Frost's blasts. She fired another at his feet, so he jumped into the air, drawing his two water bearers, before using them to form maces as his tattoos glowed a bright blue.

Frost was ready however, as once he landed she froze his arms up to his elbows. Kaldur wasn't fazed however, as he simply brought his hands up quickly, upper cutting the villainess with the ice so hard that it shattered into numerous smaller shards.

Frost was sent flying across the deck until she hit one of her ice spires, knocked out instantly. A few seconds later, Shark's own unconscious body would be tossed next to her.

Kaldur inspected his now free hands, before putting his water bearers away. Aquaman walked over before folding his arms expectantly. After living for several years with a hook to replace his missing arm, Aquaman had been gifted a new arm by the mystical Lady of the Lake as a reward for assisting her. It functioned much like his old one, so he was naturally overjoyed to have it. With the villains taken care of, he looked to his protégé approvingly, with a knowing smirk. "Well?"

Kaldur looked to his mentor before nodding, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, I'm excited. Today's the day"

* * *

 **Miami – July 4, 12:03 EDT**

Inside a large bank, several of the patrons and tellers had been frozen into solid statues alongside the few guards who attempted to stop the heist. The lone remaining teller quivered in fear as a cold gun was aimed right at their face by a villain bearing a cocky smirk. Before the villain could harass them any further, the door to the bank suddenly burst open as a sandstorm flooded inside.

The sand swirled around before quickly dissipating and reforming into the Sandman. Standing alongside him was a young woman. She was dressed in a black trench coat, as well as black dress pants. She wore a white dress shirt, with a black vest over top, as a purple bandana covered the bottom half of her face, obscuring her mouth. On top of her head was a small top hat, perched off to one side, with a pair of steam-punk looking goggles. Her hair was long and black, with two purple bangs dangling in front of her right eye. She wore a small pouch from her belt, and in her had was clutched a staff. It appeared to be made of two woven wooden branches with a small purple crystal on top.

This was Keemia Marko, alias Djinn. Since her arrival in this universe, she had been spending great deals of time learning the ways of magic. She had been taught by several sorcerers including Dr. Fate, Madame Xanadu, and even Extraño. However, her main teacher was her own step-mother; Zatanna.

The villain seemed almost overjoyed for their arrival as he quickly turned around, a boastful grin on his face. "At last, my first real challenge! Beware heroes, for now you face my criminal might!"

"Um… remind me who this is again?" Keemia asked, entirely confused by the man in front of him. "I don't remember this guy at all, and I can recall the Blue Snowman!"

"I think he's called Cold Blast or somethin' like that" Flint mused, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Used to date the Golden Glider until she dumped him. He's rather low tier honestly"

"It's Chillblaine! CHILLBLAINE!" the now furious villain yelled hysterically as he aimed his gun at them, ready to blast them for their insolence. "And I will destroy you!"

Chillblaine angrily fired several blasts of ice at the two heroes, however Djinn lazily cast a large shield by spinning her staff to protect herself and her father. The ice collided with the shield harmlessly, Djinn rolling her eyes at the pathetic attempt.

"I guess he didn't invest much in power?" she mused.

"I mean he stole the prototypes from Captain Cold back when he started. They can still freeze you solid" he noted, pointing out the frozen civilians surrounding them.

Chillblaine didn't seem to notice how ineffectual his attack was and continued his barrage. With his continued failure Keemia groaned in annoyance before looking at her dad, folding her arms. "Ugh, this is boring. Remind me again why I didn't just go with Z?"

Flint quickly shifted into his sand in order to jump for more cover behind a desk, trying to flank around Chillblaine while the villain was distracted by Keemia. "Two reasons" he grunted, before taking a brief look from out behind his temporary shelter. "Number one, she's doing some espionage work for the Dark Division. And number two, because I'm the only one who could get you to the hall on time today"

"Fine, you made your point" she scowled, looking at Chillblaine as he continued to try blasting the shield. Despite his persistence, the shield was holding strong. "Let's just deal with this second rate hack and be done with it"

"I am not just some second rate hack!" Chillblaine yelled indignantly, stopping his barrage before he was suddenly punched in the face by a large sandy fist, knocking him to the ground.

"Please, you look like a bargain bin Captain Cold. At least Lenny has some good quips. He's a genuinely nice guy. I don't actually hate him coming to Miami anymore" Flint laughed.

"You dare to mock me? ME?! CHILLBLAINE?!" he yelled frantically, scrambling to his feet.

"Huh, guess he's tougher than he looks" Djinn mused as a magic circle surrounded her right palm. She used her staff to make it grow before she set it on the floor and slid it under Chillblaine's feet. "Edam eht roolf a egac rof taht resol!"

As she spoke, the floor beneath him suddenly glowed brightly before a large metal cage grew out of the floor before surrounding him, sealing at the top.

The villain sputtered in shock, looking at the cage that now trapped him. "Hey, no fair!" he ranted, grasping and shaking the bars in a futile attempt to escape.

"Totally fair" Djinn mocked before pointing a finger at his gun. "Evig em eht dloc nug!"

His gun glowed purple before it suddenly shot out of his hand and into Djinn's open palm. One she had it, her hand formed a small alchemic circle as the gun was suddenly turned into a tomato. A tomato that she promptly threw at Chillblaine's face.

"Heh, nice work kiddo" Flint nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now let's get you to the hall, we don't want you to be late"

"Please, we both know the speedsters are gonna be the last ones there" she scoffed playfully, before sitting on her staff like a floating witch's broom.

Flint nodded with a shrug. "Point, but still. Ain't you at least a little excited?"

"A little, are you kidding me?!" she said as her eyes widened with an animated glee. "Today's the day!"

* * *

 **Central City – July 4, 11:04 CDT**

Just outside of a jewelry store in the downtown core, Captain Cold found himself surrounded by the two local speedsters. He was just attempting to escape his latest heist, with a bag full of diamonds clutched firmly in his free hand, while he tried in vain to shoot the two speedsters with his own cold gun. However, given their speed, and the fact that the weight of the bag was making him unbalanced, his aim was less than perfect.

He watched the two speedsters carefully, before taking aim and attempting to strike the Flash. However, he missed, instead striking a nearby parked car.

"Stealing ice? Seriously?" Wally asked with a smirk. "Isn't that a little cliché, even for Captain Cold?" he teased playfully.

The villain just rolled his eyes under his goggles before attempting to shoot at Kid Flash instead. Kid Flash, otherwise known as Barry Allen, was Wally's nephew. Once he developed his own speed powers in a similar lab accident, Wally had gladly taken him on as his protégé.

Kid simply ducked his head to avoid the blast before groaning at Wally's quip. "Come on, we don't have time for this!" he said before suddenly pulling his goggles on over his eyes. Once they were secure, he took off running towards Captain Cold even faster than before.

Cold saw his approach, and attempted to blast him again. His shot just barely missed, but Barry quickly rolled to the side as the blast skimmed his shoulder, leaving a small layer of frost. Once within range, Barry quickly stole the gun before sliding to a stop behind the villain.

Cold looked at his now empty hand before scowling and clenching his fist. This was cut short as Wally suddenly ran up to him, punching him across the face to knock him out. Wally looked at the downed villain carefully, before turning to his sidekick. "Calm down Kid. I know how you feel, but you just gotta relax! We got plenty of time"

"Oh Puh-lease!" Barry said impatiently. "You spend too much time talking to people to be on time! You'll chat it up with the cops, with bystanders, with Cold even!"

"Hey, Lenny here is alright! He's a cool guy" Wally defended.

"No, no way!" Kid Flash said before shaking his head as a wide grin came across his face. "Today is the day!"

* * *

 **Washington, D.C. – July 4, 14:00 EDT**

Near the Lincoln Memorial, and across from the Washington Monument, there lay a large white building, with great pillars and a large golden statue in front; the Hall of Justice, the Earth based headquarters of the Justice League. This building was the new and improved version of the old Metro Tower, and was given its new name after Flash made a sarcastic remark in front of reporters. No one back then though it would stick.

It did.

Out in front of the hall, assembled together stood a group of heroes and their protégés. Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Aqualad, Green Arrow, Speedy, Sandman, and Djinn. They all looked to the hall with their own senses of pride, accomplishment, and wonder. Each excited and anxious for what would happen next.

Batman seemed to take note of their feelings as he set a hand on Robin's shoulder, the faintest of smiles on his face. "Today's the day"

"Welcome to the Hall of Justice" Green Arrow continued.

"Headquarters of the Justice League" Aquaman smiled.

"And a new beginning for each of you" Sandman finished, folding his arms.

"Aw man!" an exasperated voice called, as the group turned around to see Kid Flash arriving, Flash hot on his heels. He folded his arms with a scowl. "I **KNEW** we'd be the last ones here!" he complained, while Flash simply looked at him bemused.

With the last of the heroes having arrived, the group assembled together before marching up towards the hall's grand entrance. Their approach was noticed by the several tourists who were admiring the building, who in turn crowded around to take pictures of the assembled heroes.

"Oh man, is that Batman?"

"I see Flash and Flash Jr!"

"Um, his name is Speedy"

"No, Speedy is Green Arrow's sidekick"

"Well that makes no sense"

Djinn watched the crowd of tourists, her eyebrow raised in disbelief before looking back to her father. "They always like this?"

"Nah" Flint said, shaking his head. "Sometimes they get weird"

"Ready to see the Inner Sanctum?" Green Arrow asked, looking to Speedy with a small grin.

"Born that way" the younger archer replied, his smile boasting confidence.

"I'm glad we're all here" Aqualad added, looking to his friends.

Kid Flash simply took in all the sights, almost trembling with excitement. "Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?"

"Don't call us sidekicks!" Speedy barked, his smile gone as his gaze hardened. "Not after today"

"Eh, I always fancied myself as a protégé anyway" Djinn shrugged before Robin elbowed her playfully.

"That's just because you've been doing your training with the Dark Division" he teased, while she fixed him with a light glare.

Kid Flash looked back at Speedy, his smile shrinking substantially as he nodded sheepishly. "Sorry… first time at the hall. I'm a little overwhelmed" he admitted.

Robin seemed to scoff at that. "You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

As he asked that, the group entered into the hall, before seeing seven large bronze statues. Each one was of one the founders of the Justice League; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. The seven statues cast an imposing figure to the sidekicks below as Robin looked up at them in awe.

"Oh. Maybe that's why" he muttered, still awestruck.

Suddenly, a door below the statue of Superman opened, as Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado stepped out to greet them.

"Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Djinn; welcome" J'onn greeted before turning around and leading through the door that had just opened. Inside was what appeared to be a sitting room. There was a large round table with several chairs sitting around it for meetings, a large computer monitor, several book shelves, and a smaller sitting area just off to the side. "You now have access to our gym, our fully stocked galley, and of course, our library"

Flash nodded before holding his arms open wide. "Make yourselves at home!"

"Robin and Kid Flash quickly flopped down in two of the arm chairs, while Aqualad was more sedate with how he sat. Djinn opted to not sit in one of the chairs. She instead sat floating on her staff side-saddle, perched next to Aqualad. Speedy however, stood watching the Leaguers. His eyes narrowed as they seemed to huddle around each other, and away from the younger heroes.

"Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of five ice villains attacking on the same day" Batman said. "We shouldn't be too long"

With that, he turned around as a security sensor slowly descended from the ceiling before scanning each of the Leaguers. After scanning each one, a synthesized voice cold be heard.

" _Recognized: Batman-01, Aquaman-13, Flash-04, Green Arrow-08, Sandman-14, Martian Manhunter-07, Red Tornado-16"_

"That's it?!" Speedy cried, outraged as a door opened in front of the Leaguers. "You promised us a real look, not a glorified backstage pass!"

"It's a first step" Aquaman reasoned, folding his arms. "You've been granted access few others get"

Roy seemed to sneer before gesturing up. "Oh really?" The others followed his gazer above them to where there were large plate glass windows. On the other side of the glass, there were several tourists, taking pictures and reading pamphlets. "Who cares what side of the glass we're on?"

"Almost forgot we had that" Flint muttered as Green Arrow stepped forward.

"Roy, you just need to be patient"

"What I need is respect!" the younger archer countered before turning to the other young heroes. "They're treating us like kids! Worse! Like sidekicks… This is why I left to join the Titans in the first place. We deserve better than this!"

Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad, and Djinn looked at each other awkwardly before turning back to Roy. Their expressions were unsure, and none of them quite knew what to say.

"You're kidding right?" Roy asked incredulously. "Playing their game? Why?! Today was supposed to be _**THE**_ day! Step one of becoming full-fledged members of the league!"

"Well, yeah…" Kid Flash started "But I thought step one was a tour of the HQ?"

"Except the Hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Roy revealed, as they suddenly looked to him in shock. "I bet they never told you it's just a false front for tourists, and a pit stop for catching zeta-beam teleporters to the real thing; an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower!"

The Leaguers looked among themselves, surprised that he knew about this, before Batman folded his arms in suspicion, looking at Arrow. Ollie sighed, before turning to look at Batman sheepishly.

"I know, I know. But I thought that maybe we could make an exception" the archer defended weakly, as Batman's eyes narrowed into the infamous bat-glare. "Or not…"

Aquaman simply shook his head before approaching Roy. "You are not helping your case here son. Stand down. Or-"

"Or what? You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son! I'm not even his" he said, jerking a thumb back to Ollie. "I thought I was his partner…" he lamented, before slowly removing his hat. He stared at it in his hands for a few moments before tossing it to the ground in frustration. "Not anymore"

Roy then turned sharply before walking past the other protégés on his way to the door. "Guess they're right about you four. You're not ready" he declared before storming out the door as it closed behind him.

The four watched him leave, unsure what to make of it, before Djinn scoffed and folded her arms in frustration. "Asshole…"

Before anyone else could say anything however, they were suddenly interrupted by an incoming transmission on the monitor. Superman's image came into view as Batman turned to look at it.

"Superman to Justice League, there's been an explosion at Project Prometheus. It's on fire"

"I've had my suspicions about Prometheus" Batman muttered as he approached the monitor. "This could present the perfect opportunity to-"

"Zatanna to Justice League" the sorceress suddenly interrupted, as her own transmission joined Superman's on the monitor. "The sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Atem to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response!"

"So that's what the espionage lead to? That's some pretty heavy stuff" Flint frowned.

Batman frowned as well, considering both situations carefully as he turned back to Clark. "Superman?"

"It's a small fire" the man of steel reasoned. "Local authorities have it under control"

"Then Prometheus can wait" Batman nodded, opening a comlink to all communicators. "All Leaguers rendezvous as Zatanna's coordinates. Batman out" he ordered as the Leaguers headed for the teleporters. The younger heroes started standing as Batman stared at them. "Stay put"

"What, why?" Robin asked, outraged.

"Yeah, what gives?" Keemia chimed in.

"This is a League mission" Aquaman explained, as Flash nodded.

"You're not trained-"

"Since when?!" Barry yelled, cutting him off.

"I meant you're not trained to work as part of this team" Wally sighed, gesturing to Batman and Aquaman as he did.

"There will be other missions. When you're ready" Aquaman said, trying to reason with them.

"But for now, stay put" Batman ordered with narrowed eyes as he turned and left through the teleporter.

Green Arrow leaned in towards J'onn as they were leaving, his eyes watching the kids carefully. "Glad you didn't bring you-know-who?"

"Indeed" the Martian nodded sombrely as they too stepped through the teleporter.

Flint watched the disappointment on the kid's faces with a frown, folding his arms. "I'm sorry 'bout this kiddo, but my hands are tied. There will be other missions…" he trailed off, before an idea slowly formed. "So don't even think about going on the Wotan mission" he finished, leaving with a hopeful smirk.

Red Tornado was the last to leave, his eyes fixed on the kids silently, before he too finally left after his team mates.

The door to the teleporter finally closed, the four kids left staring at it. Each of them had disappointment clear across their faces, each one was unsure about how to process this. It was Barry that broke the silence.

"When we're ready? Ugh! How are we supposed to be ready when they treat us like… like… sidekicks" he sighed, deflating substantially.

"Wotan is something I've trained for! Z and Uncle Kent taught me how to handle other sorcerers! Why wouldn't we be ready for this?!" Keemia asked, pulling her bandana down as she stared after the door angrily.

Aqualad seemed the most somber about the entire situation, his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. "My mentor… my king… I thought he trusted me"

"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics!" Barry scoffed. "They have a secret HQ, in SPACE!"

"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad frowned, as Keemia simply shook her head vehemently.

"Are you seriously listening to Speedy on this?" she asked with a scowl. "I mean sure, I'm angry too, but Speedy's looking for an excuse to break our trust in the League like his was. He's had that stick up his ass ever since Nightwing joined them!" She added, referencing how Nightwing had joined the League just months prior. First it was as a reserve. But he soon achieved full-league status, alongside his Titans team mates Cyborg and Troia.

"But that's just it; Nightwing joined the League! Why won't they trust us with this?" Kid Flash continued to rant.

"I have a better question" Robin said, calling their attention. "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

The three all looked down, each wondering why they didn't follow behind the younger archer. Sure he might have been brash and impatient, but after what they had just seen, he did have a point. Why didn't they just leave after him?

Keemia thought about this before considering something else. Her dad was on their side at least… but what was it he said? 'Don't even think about going on the Wotan mission' replayed in her head over and over, before an idea slowly started to form. "What… what is Project Prometheus?" she said slowly.

Robin looked at her curiously. "Don't know…" he admitted, before a smirk started to form. "But I can find out"

He suddenly moved over to the keyboard before typing something into it. There was a brief pause before the computer's automated voice was heard again. " _Access Denied_ "

"Tch, wanna bet?" Robin smirked before furiously typing away, as he rapidly opened and closed files, trying to find a backway into the computer system. Screens of data and different pop-ups flashed all over the screen as the other three watched him in awe.

"Whoa… how are you doing that?" Barry asked.

"Same system as the bat-cave" was his only explanation before he pressed one last button, and the computerised voice spoke again.

" _Access Granted_ "

"That was frighteningly fast…. Think you can get me some free movies?" she asked coyly before Aqualad elbowed her side.

"Alright, Project Prometheus…." Robin read off as he perused the data. "Genetics lab here in DC. That's all there is. But if Batman's suspicious…"

"Solve their case before they do?" Aqualad deduced. "It would be poetic justice…"

"Hey, they're all about justice" Robin added.

Aqualad smiled at that before suddenly deflating. "But they said stay put" he sighed.

"For the blotting out the sun mission, not this" Robin pointed out.

"Ah loopholes. Gotta love 'em!" Djinn grinned happily.

"Wait, are you goin' to Prometheus?" Kid Flash asked excitedly. "Because, if you're going, I'm going!"

Djinn and Robin looked at him with matching grins, before the three turned to look at Aqualad.

"Just like that? We're a team on a mission?" Kaldur asked.

"Hey, we didn't come here for a playdate" Robin countered, as Aqualad smirked.

* * *

As Superman had said, the fire at Project Prometheus was indeed a small one. It was contained entirely to the top floor of the building, and was small enough that only the single fire truck on scene would be needed to put it out. However, there were still two scientists trapped inside the building. The two were leaning out of a window, trying to get the attention of the firemen below.

"Help!"

"Get us down!"

"Stay put! We will get you out!" the fire chief ordered, before looking to his men to give orders. However, a sudden explosion from behind the scientists knocked them out of the window and towards the ground.

Thankfully, Kid Flash raced onto the scene in time to save them. Using his super-speed, he scaled up the side of the building, before catching the two scientists, and running them safely onto the roof. That's where his luck ended though, as gravity soon caught up with him. He managed to scramble himself to a windowsill in time, grabbing on tightly.

"It's what's his name! Flash Boy!" the fire chief said with a grin as KF simply shook his head in exasperation.

"It's Kid Flash! Why is that so hard?"

Djinn, Aqualad, and Robin ran in after him, stopping in front of a building across from the fire. The three watched their speedster friend struggle to pull himself inside the window.

"So smooth" Robin muttered, shaking his head.

"Yes, very graceful" Keemia added, floating on her staff as she watched Barry, bemused.

"Does he always have to run ahead?" Aqualad asked in exasperation. "We need a plan to… Robin?" he asked, him and Keemia looking around for their disappearing team mate. They didn't have to look long before they saw Robin's laughing figure scaling the ladder of the fire truck with ease. Robin then used his grapple line to swing inside the window, before leaning out to help Kid Flash inside.

"Well that was helpful" Djinn muttered, before turning to Aqualad. "Guess it's up to us"

Kaldur nodded before running with her to where the firefighters were. He drew his water bearers, pointing them at the fire hose as his tattoos glowed. "I need to borrow that!" he called before using the water from the hose to make a large column of water to bring himself and Keemia up to where the two scientists were.

"Hiya fellas. Need a lift?" Djinn asked playfully before a circle of magic surrounded her right hand. "Etaerc a mroftalp rof meht!"

A platform of magic would appear next to the scientists, as they looked at it unsure. Aqualad simply gave them a steeled look. "Step aboard! Now!" he ordered, and the scientists obeyed him. Once they were safely aboard, Keemia waved her hand again as the platform slowly descended to the ground before the scientists stepped off safely.

Once they were on the ground, Aqualad slowly brought the column of water to the window as he and Djinn jumped inside after their team mates. His tattoos stopped glowing, and the water bearers returned the water to the hose once again.

"Appreciate the help" Kaldur said sarcastically as he looked at Robin, who was busy typing away at one of the nearby computers.

"You handled it! Besides, we're here to investigate. Poetic justice, remember?" Robin retorted before returning to his work.

"Keep telling yourself that" Keemia said sarcastically before folding her arms and leaning against the wall.

Aqualad simply rolled his eyes before moving about the room. He passed Kid Flash, who was sorting through a filing cabinet, before exiting out into a hallway. Once he stepped out, he saw a brief sliver of light from the end of the hall. Turning quickly, he saw an elevator door closing, with a thin horned figure inside.

He looked at the door for a moment as Kid Flash and Djinn walked up behind him. "There was something in the…" he started as Kid Flash frowned.

"Elevators should be locked down" the speedster said suspiciously.

"He's got a point, its basic protocol in buildings like these" Djinn mused. "Maybe it's running on a backup power system?"

Robin took note of what they were looking at and decided to investigate for himself. He approached the door, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This is wrong…" he muttered before bringing up a holoscreen from his wrist. He typed away for a moment before nodding. "Thought so. This is a high speed express elevator. Doesn't belong in a two-story building"

"Neither does what I saw" Aqualad frowned before he pressed his fingers into the door. With a brief grunt of effort, he pulled the doors open wide before looking down. Inside was a massive elevator shaft, descending for several stories into the ground.

"That's why they need an express elevator" Robin said before drawing his grapple and using it to descend down the shaft.

"Etaerc a mroftalp rof su" Keemia cast before another platform appeared in the elevator shaft next to the now opened door. "Shall we?" she asked before she climbed on with Aqualad and Kid Flash, descending after Robin.

Robin grinned wide as he descended rapidly, passing by floor after floor with quick succession. Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a large steel door marked SL-26. "Huh. I'm at the end of my rope" he mused before swinging onto the steel frame under the door, and once again taking out his holoscreen as he hacked away at the controls.

The platform that held his team mates soon caught up with him and he gave them a brief nod as he continued to work. "Bypassing security… and there; go!" he ordered.

Aqualad nodded before leaping next to where Robin was and using his strength to pull the now unlocked door open. The others stepped in after him, looking around in surprise at the sheer size of the room they found themselves in.

"Welcome to Project Prometheus" Robin muttered before Kid Flash suddenly ran off ahead of them to explore.

"Barry, no!" Djinn groaned in exasperation before face palming. "Idiot"

Aqualad tried and failed to catch him before starting to move after him. "Kid, wait!"

Barry promptly ignored them as he cruised down the hall, taking in everything. However, he was soon caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of massive, grey-skinned creatures that lumbered down from a hallway perpendicular to him. He skidded to a stop, rolling along the floor as he narrowly avoided their massive footfalls, before rejoining his team mates who caught up with him.

They all stared in shock at the massive creatures as they lumbered by. They were all easily twenty-feet tall, with short faces and massive tusk-like horns. They walked on their knuckles like gorillas, and had large elephantine feet. A few turned to look at them curiously, before bellowing loudly and continuing on their way.

On top of these creatures sat even smaller ones. They were perched on the heads of these behemoths like miniature gargoyles. They too looked at the young heroes; however, unbeknownst to the kids their own small horns glowed briefly as they saw them.

"No… nothing odd going on here" Aqualad said sarcastically as the creatures slowly lumbered off.

Keemia watched them leave before folding her arms in mock frustration. "I can't believe they made Jurassic Park without me"

* * *

In a lab not far from where the young heroes were currently searching, a man with a long ponytail was busy at work, looking through a microscope at a sample he had removed from a test tube. In the lab all around him were various large machines and computers, as well as various half-open folders with notes scattered all across the room. Among these machines were what appeared to be gestation tanks, with several different creatures inside, each displaying a different level of gestation.

This man was Dr. Mark Desmond. He was currently working on a serum known as 'Project Blockbuster', and was making a significant amount of headway. Despite the fact that the original Blockbuster went missing almost a year earlier, after having reportedly joined the Legion of Doom, there was enough of the original formula left for Desmond to test and improve upon it.

He took a few drops of the substance he was looking at under the microscope, and after sampling it with an eyedropper, added it to a test tube, which already contained trace amounts of a crystallised substance. As soon as he added the drops, the crystal substance dissolved, and the entire mixture turned blue. He smirked at his success before hearing the door open behind him.

The intruder was Guardian, a hero from Metropolis. "Dr. Desmond…"

"Tell me Guardian, what part of no interruptions do you not understand?" the scientist asked impatiently, as he set the tube inside one of the many refrigerating units in the room, where it joined several identical test tube samples.

Guardian was unperturbed by the scientist as he continued, placing his hands on his hips. "A G-Gnome on sublevel twenty-six reports four intruders"

Desmond sighed, turning slowly to look at Guardian. "Did I miss a perimeter breach alert?"

"No…"

"Then the G-Gnome is confused. Whatever might occur in our project Prometheus façade above ground, the real lab down here is the most secure facility in DC!" Desmond reasoned.

"My job to keep it that way" Guardian replied, trying to keep his frustration with the scientist in check.

Desmond let out another frustrated sigh before waving Guardian off dismissively. "Fine, take a squad"

Before Guardian could leave, the door opened again as another figure entered. This was Dubbilex, another one of the resident scientists. Dubbilex, however, was very clearly not human. He was very thin and frail looking, with two long horns extending out of his forehead and pointed ears, as well as what appeared to be facial hair coming down from his cheekbones.

"Might I recommend Guardian leave his G-Gnome behind?" the scientist began. "If violence should occur…"

"The little guy would be in my way" Guardian concluded.

"No! The advantage of instant telepathic communication outweighs other concerns" Desmond said derisively, before gently petting the chin of his own G-Gnome that sat on his desk. As he did, the G-Gnomes horns started glowing. Almost immediately, the horns of guardian's G-Gnome also started to glow.

As the horns on the G-Gnome glowed, Guardian's expression suddenly glazed over, almost as though he were in a trance-like state. "I need my G-Gnome with me at all times" he said stiffly, seemingly hypnotised as he saluted Desmond before leaving.

Desmond nodded in satisfaction before returning to his work, once again looking at samples through his microscope. Dubbilex watched the man impassively before he too left the room.

* * *

The four heroes continued their exploration of the underground base, as Robin opened yet another large door. As this one opened, the four were suddenly overcome with feelings of awe and discomfort at what they were looking at.

"Okay… I'm officially whelmed" Robin muttered.

Inside the room, were hundreds of glass tubes, each of the tubes containing and insectoid, winged creatures. These creatures were covered in wires and appeared to be crackling blue electricity between each other. The four entered slowly, looking all around with matching frowns. Djinn in particular approached one of the tubes before slowly reaching a hand out to touch it.

"Are they… alive?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah. This is how they hide this massive underground facility from the world" Kid Flash reasoned. "The real Prometheus isn't on the grid, it generates its own power with these… things. Must be what they're bred for"

"No, not Prometheus. That's just a cover" Robin muttered as he typed away at his holoscreen again. "This facility? The real name is Project Cadmus"

"Even the name is a clue" Aqualad nodded. "The Cadmus of myth made life by sowing dragon's teeth into the earth. And according to Greek legends Prometheus created humans… gave them life"

"Wait, isn't Cadmus the group that tried to destroy the League a few years ago? I thought they disbanded?" Keemia asked, remembering the stories her father had told her about the extended and dangerous cold war that the League had with the original Cadmus organisation.

"Apparently not. And this Cadmus creates life too" Robin said dryly before approaching a nearby computer and plugging a cable into it. "Let's find out why" he said before typing away, trying to find any useful information.

As he worked, Keemia continued to look at the creatures in the tubes, her hand once again touching the glass. "This is wrong… these are living creatures!"

"They call them genomorphs" Robin said, bringing up several files about the various different genomorphs that the company had produced. "Whoa! Look at the stats on these things!" he exclaimed as the others gathered around. Robin scrolled through their different information files, each one making his eyes widen more. "Super strength, telepathy, razor claws, these are living weapons!"

"They're engineering an army" Kid Flash muttered, his eyes narrowing. "But for who?"

"Wait… there's something else" Robin frowned. "Project Kr… ugh the file's triple encrypted. I can't-"

"Don't move!" a gruff voice called out, startling the four as Guardian rushed into the room, flanked by more genomorphs. These ones were different from the winged ones in the tubes, and from the massive elephant-like beasts from earlier. These genomorphs were smaller and far more agile, with long claws and tails. Guardian ran towards the four before slowing to a stop as he saw them. 'Wait… Robin, Aqualad, Djinn, Kid Flash?"

"At least he got your name right" Robin smirked as he continued to hack, the other three having taken defensive stances.

"I know you, you're Guardian. A hero" Aqualad said, watching the older hero carefully.

"I do my best" Guardian said simply, putting his hands on his hips.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kid Flash asked.

"I'm chief of security, and you're trespassing" he said seriously before seemingly relaxing. "But we can call the Justice League, figure this out"

"Oh, well when you put it like that" Djinn said sarcastically, pointing her staff at him warily.

"You think the League is gonna approve of you breeding weapons?!" Kid Flash asked again, gesturing to the genomorphs next to Guardian.

"Weapons? What are you…?" Guardian started, initially surprised by his accusation, before the G-Gnome on his shoulder looked to him. Its horns once again glowed as Guardian stumbled over his words. "What have I? Ugh… my head!" he grunted, holding his head in pain. After a few seconds, he released his hold before looking at the four with a glare. "Take 'em down hard! No mercy!"

At his command, the genomorphs around him snarled before leaping forward to attack the young heroes. Robin immediately unplugged from the computer before throwing down a smoke bomb for cover. Once hidden, he used his grapple to escape by leaping over Guardian and running off.

Kid Flash ran off to the side sharply, flipping off of and running along the walls as he tried to out-manoeuver the genomorphs. Despite their own great agility and reflexes, they were unable to catch up with the speedster.

Several more leapt at Djinn, and she hastily conjured a barrier to keep them off her. "What the hell? Are these chupacabras?!" she screeched in alarm as the genomorphs bounced off of her barrier before circling around to attack again. As they did, she raised her hand towards them. "Kconk meht yawa!" she cried out, as a sudden wave of energy blasted the genomorphs back into a wall. Once they were gone, she immediately took off in pursuit of Robin.

While his team mates dealt with the genomorphs, Aqualad engaged Guardian. They were locked in a deadly hand-to-hand combat, their skills a near equal match. However, Guardian's wrist-mounted shield gave him an edge as he used to deflect several of Aqualad's blows. After blocking one of Kaldur's punches, he responded with a powerful kick that sent Kaldur flying into a nearby control panel.

Kaldur quickly rose to his feet again before he launched another flurry of blows. This time, he made sure to play too close for Guardian to counter-attack. Once he had an opening, he put Guardian into a headlock before suddenly shocking him with a massive burst of electricity. He held on until Guardian was unconscious, at which point Kaldur and Barry took off after their team mates, with the genomorphs hot on their heels.

The two rounded the corner, meeting up with Djinn before they continued running. Eventually they came across Robin, who was busy hacking into yet another elevator door.

"Way to be a team player Rob!" Kid Flash said in frustration, before looking back to see the genomorphs still in pursuit of them.

"Weren't you right behind me?" Robin asked as the elevator door opened. Robin and Kid Flash disappeared inside, as Aqualad followed in soon after. Djinn turned back to the approaching genomorphs before waving her hand in front of them.

"Llawerif!" she cast before large jets of flames erupted from the floors, stopping the genomorphs in their tracks. She nodded in satisfaction before joining the others in the elevator, the door closing behind her.

As the four took a moment to catch their breaths, Aqualad looked at the numbers on the elevator. Instead of decreasing with ascension, they were instead increasing.

"We're going down?" he asked in alarm.

"Dude, out is up" Kid Flash nodded.

"Excuse me, Project Kr? It's down on sub-level fifty-two" Robin defended, as Djinn folded her arms.

"I think escaping should be our bigger priority Rob!" she chastised.

"This is out of control" Kaldur sighed. "Perhaps… perhaps we should contact the League"

The other three each looked down in thought. None of them wanted to be on the receiving end of the trouble they'd get in if the League found out. But at the same time, they each knew that what they found was too much for them to handle on their own.

They didn't have long to think on that, as the elevator door soon pinged to inform them they had arrived. They all took on a ready stance as the door opened, expecting resistance. They slowly exited before looking at their new location. Every aspect of this floor was made of what appeared to be organic fleshy material.

Robin ran off ahead as Djinn examined one of the walls in disgust. "God, this just gets better doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically as Barry simply shrugged.

"We are already here" he said before following behind Robin. Kaldur simply sighed before he and Djinn followed them as well. They regrouped before crouching down next to some large barrels as they arrived at a fork in their path.

"Which way?" Kaldur asked as Barry gave a dry laugh.

"Yeah, bizarre-looking hallway one? Or bizarre-looking hallway two?"

"Halt!" a new voice called as they turned to see a new figure approaching from one of the two hallways. Aqualad immediately recognized him as the figure from the elevator. Unknown to them however, this was Dubbilex.

Dubbilex raised his hand, using telekinesis to lift some of the barrels before throwing them at the young heroes. They easily dodged the projectiles as they exploded behind the heroes. Dubbilex continued the barrage, while Robin threw several birdarangs at him.

The genomorphs scientist easily caught them with his telekinesis before he threw more barrels, forcing the heroes to retreat down the other hall. Dubbilex smirked to himself as the elevator opened again, releasing guardian and several of the genomorphs from before.

"They are headed for Project Kr" Dubbilex said, before Guardian ran off after them.

Far down the end of the hall, a large laboratory door opened as a scientist walked out, making notes on her clipboard. She looked up in time to see Kid Flash rushing around the corner. However, neither could get out of the way in time, as Kid Flash tried skidding to a stop. Instead, he slid along the floor, colliding with her legs as he toppled the scientist over.

The other three came around the corner quickly as Kid Flash continued for the door, grasping a large canister and using it to keep the door open. "Hurry!" he urged before diving inside with Robin and Djinn close behind. Aqualad crept in after, looking back to see the scientist standing, as well as Guardian once again in pursuit with his genomorphs. With that, he kicked the canister away, allowing the door to shut firmly behind them.

Robin took out his holoscreen before typing away with a nod. "I disabled the door. We're safe"

'We're trapped" Kaldur corrected as Djinn grasped her staff tightly.

"Fantastic" she groaned.

"Uh guys…?" Kid Flash said, calling their attention. He was standing in front of a small control panel, turning to look at the others with a frown. "You'll want to see this"

He pressed one of the buttons on the control panel, turning on a large spotlight, illuminating a massive glass tube. "Whoa…" Robin muttered as they stepped forward, looking at the figure inside. The figure in the tube was a boy, clearly a teenager. He was in a solid white body suit, with the infamous Superman crest emblazoned on his chest in red. However, the boy appeared to be in stasis, resting comfortably as the G-Gnomes were also in the tube, their horns glowing faintly.

"Big 'K', little 'r', the atomic symbol for Krypton!" Kid Flash surmised, approaching the tank before turning back to the others. "Clone?"

"Robin, hack" Aqualad ordered.

"Right, right" he nodded meekly before immediately typing away. "Weapon designation Superboy, made from data from Project Galatea. A clone force grown in… 16 weeks? With DNA acquired from Superman!"

"Stolen from Superman" Aqualad corrected.

"No way the big guy knows about this" Kid Flash said.

"Galatea was that clone of Supergirl, the one that tried to kill the League!" Keemia pointed out, remembering the now-reformed Kryptonian clone who once attacked the League under orders from Amanda Waller. "So he's not even the first clone they've made…"

Robin nodded before continuing his research. "Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7"

"And those creatures?" Aqualad asked, pointing at the genomorphs perched above Superboy.

"Genomorph gnomes, telepathic. Force-feeding him an education" Robin relayed.

"And we can guess what else" Kid Flash added grimly. "They're making a slave out of, well… Superman's son"

"Now we contact the League" Aqualad decided before they all tried activating their communicators. A few moments of silence followed.

"No signal" Robin frowned.

"We're too deep. Literally" Barry grimaced with a nod.

"I can't even teleport us out" Keemia frowned, her eyes glowing as she looked all around them. "Too much earth in the way"

The four of them were well and truly trapped.

* * *

Outside the door to Project Kr, the scientist that Kid Flash accidentally tripped was working on opening the lab again, Guardian keeping watch. The genomorphs that had accompanied him were perched around the walls and floor of the hallway, waiting for a command. This was the scene that Desmond found as he ran over.

"They're still in there, with the weapon?!" he asked, outraged.

"We can't get the door open" Guardian frowned.

Desmond growled before turning to Dubbilex, who was standing nearby. "Use your telekinesis!"

"I have tried" the genomorph scientist defended. "To no avail"

"Useless!" Desmond cried out angrily before marching over to Guardian with a scowl. "This is a debacle. Get some G-Trolls down here to muscle the door open. Now!"

"Already on their way" the hero said snidely, folding his arms.

"You do realize once we get in there, we can't ever let them leave" Desmond said seriously.

"Doc, these aren't your typical meddling kids. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the Justice League" guardian warned him.

"Better than getting on the wrong side of the Cadmus board of directors, believe me" the scientist said seriously before looking to the G-Gnome on his shoulder, a small idea forming. "Contact the G-Gnomes inside Kr"

* * *

Back inside Project Kr, the G-Gnomes above Superboy received the relayed message as their horns glowed slightly brighter. However, the heroes didn't notice this as they were too busy discussing what to do next.

"This is wrong" Kid Flash frowned, looking back at the clone.

"We can't leave him like this" Robin agreed as Keemia shook her head.

"Not while we can help him"

Aqualad cupped his chin in thought, before looking up at the clone again. "Set him free. Do it" he urged, looking to Robin.

Robin was quick to comply as he brought up his holoscreen, typing a few commands in. Immediately, there was a hissing of released gas, as the tube was opened up. For a moment, the clone appeared unresponsive. However, his hand slowly lifted off of its resting place before curling into a fist.

The four watched him carefully, unsure of how to proceed before the clone's eyes shot open. In a second, the clone leapt forward with incredible speed and tackled Aqualad to the ground before the hero could react. He then followed up by punching Aqualad repeatedly, before Robin and Kid Flash ran over in an attempt to restrain him.

"Whoa! Hang on Supey!" Barry said, holding onto one of the clone's arms as Robin tried to put him in a headlock.

"We're on your side!" Robin urged.

The clone easily wrenched his arm free before upper-cutting Kid Flash, sending the speedster through another glass tube before he fell to the floor, knocked out.

"I don't want to do this!" Robin said before opening a canister of tear gas and shoving it inside the clone's mouth. He immediately stopped his assault on Aqualad as he clutched his neck, coughing and sputtering at the gas.

Aqualad took his opportunity to kick him back, sending the clone flying through the console. The clone tried to stand up before Keemia raised her hand to him.

"Ekam sniahc ot dnib mih!" she cast as large iron chains erupted from the floor before wrapping around the clone, holding him in place. Robin then drew his Taser before firing it into the clone and shocking him.

This had little effect however, as the clone easily broke through the chains before grasping the cords of the Taser and easily pulling Robin towards him. He caught the boy wonder before slamming him into the ground and stomping on his chest.

Aqualad growled angrily, standing up and drawing his water bearers before leaping at Superboy with a large sledgehammer made of water. 'Enough!" he called out before swinging the hammer and smashing it into Superboy's face.

Superboy flew back, striking a large metal panel before falling to the ground as it crumpled, Djinn pointing her staff at him as she watched him carefully in case he got up.

Aqualad then moved to where Robin was, trying to help him up before his team mate fell unconscious and slumped to the floor again.

Superboy stood up before stepping forward as Djinn conjured a barrier in front of Robin to protect his prone form, while Aqualad stood up, glaring at the clone. "We are trying to help you!"

"We just want to set you free, get you out of here!" Keemia added.

Superboy seemed impassive as he rushed at Aqualad again. However Kaldur was ready, and easily dodged to the side, as the clone punched the floor instead. Kaldur then followed up by tackling the clone into the wall.

He tried to punch the clone, but his fist was easily caught before Superboy kicked him away before advancing on Keemia. Aqualad wouldn't be deterred as he attacked again, combating him hand to hand before putting him in a headlock from behind. Once he had a hold of Superboy, his tattoos glowed as he shocked him again. This time, the electricity elicited a cry of pain from the clone.

Superboy crouched forward before leaping into the ceiling, Aqualad still on his back as they collided with the rock above them before landing on the ground. Once they landed, he leapt into the ceiling again as Aqualad cried out before they fell to the floor again. Kaldur slumped down unconscious before Superboy stood and looked to Keemia.

She was trying to tend to Robin, as she looked at the clone fearfully, backing away. "Please no…" she whispered, very clearly scared as she shook her head, not wanting to be attacked again.

Superboy stopped in his tracks as he watched her carefully, hesitant to strike. She seemingly calmed down a bit before the G-Gnomes' horns glowed again. Instead of communicating outside, they assaulted her telepathically instead. Keemia grasped her head, screaming in sudden pain as she shook and trembled under their assault. Within seconds, she had fallen to the floor as well.

Superboy looked at her for a moment before striding past the fallen heroes towards the door. He easily wrenched it open as Guardian and the genomorphs rushed inside to apprehend the heroes. Desmond simply surveyed the handiwork of the clone, looking at the fallen heroes with a smirk as he placed a congratulatory hand on Superboy's shoulder.

"Attaboy!"

* * *

 **Heh, I love ending on a cliffhanger. It makes everything more exciting.**

 **And now for housekeeping, starting with the more minor aspect: the Dark Division. They will get their own chapter in a side story I'm making regarding their formation and roster. They just take care of supernatural threats, at least until they need the regular League's help. They'll appear periodically, certain members at a time, in supporting roles.**

 **Next, the Young Justice team itself. Since I am working this in as a continuation of Justice League Unlimited there had to be some minor changes. First, since Dick Grayson is already Nightwing, I just used Tim. He was already Robin by the time JLU started, and he was 10 when he started, so he should be about 15 here. Kaldur needs no explanation. Roy is still Speedy, and the Titans existed in the past. This will work mostly for Roy's own development. Just know that his appearance in JLU during "Patriot Act" is still canon, he just wasn't a reserve yet. And now for Barry... Well since Wally is the Flash in JLU and by extension in Sandman Unlmited, I just swapped his role and Barry's, making Barry his nephew. Hopefully this alleviates some confusion. I mean, I could have used Bart. But, Impulse's arc from the show will be continuing and operating as normal.**

 **So with that taken care of, there's your first chapter. Will the young heroes escape? Will they be able to help Superboy? Who else will join this intrepid crew?**

 **Tune in next time to find out!**

 **As always be sure to read and review!**

 **It's good to be back my friends, ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	2. Fireworks

**Alright folks, chapter two is here!**

 **I may have been a little delayed in writing this one, but hopefully that translated into the quality of the chapter.**

 **First off, let me express how happy I am at the positive reception to the sequel so far. It really does make me feel so elated to know that you guys liked it as much as you did. Hopefully the rest of the fic continues to do likewise. I have a lot of great ideas and exciting chapters coming for you in the near future, so lets keep the hype train going!**

 **As always, time to answer some questions left by reviews:**

 **CRUDEN: Y'know, I really could have, but I opted to go with Barry instead. Mostly because Wally isn't married to Linda in this continuity I have established. Also because I thought Barry was just the easier work-around.**

 **RHatch89: Heh, oh are you now?**

 **VladImpaler: Glad to hear you're a part of the hype train**

 **Lucian Naruto: Nice to see you here for the sequel my friend. And yeah, I totally agree. Speedy is a total asshole. Unfortunately it's gonna get worse before it gets any better.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: As always, I continued to enjoy every review you leave me my friend, and I'm glad to see that you're enjoying this story so far. I of course had to include mentions to some of the more obscure DC characters, they're just so fun at times. And I love** **Extraño right now, the Rebirth comics have made him such a badass. I also agree with you about poor Victor Fries. His characterization in this series just wasn't done any justice. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that. The Endless will definitely continue to appear. Season of Infamy might be a partial inspiration for a chapter, but I'll leave that under wraps for now. It still has to be reworked a but to fit the continuity, but I would love to do something with it. Conner having the telekinesis will not be happening. It might be cool, but a lot of his character growth and development comes from not having all of his powers. The Incredible Muffin's works will have partial inspirations for this story, but not a lot. Mostly in terms of how I will be expanding the roster of the team. It won't be as big as the roster Muffin made though. Other than that, I won't be taking nearly that much. Same goes for the original comic. Not much inspiration will be drawn from there either, unfortunately.**

 **cabrera1234: Spidey will be sure to visit in the future. As for his own story... it's a definite maybe.**

 **darthwolf: Miles will not be joining the team. Neither will any of the other young Marvel heroes. They have their own stuff to deal with.**

 **Thanks again for all of the reviews! I love receiving them!**

 **Now, onto the main event: the second chapter. Hopefully it lives up to the previous one. But first, a disclaimer:**

 **I own nothing in this fic except for the initial idea and maybe a future OC (*wink-wink*). Keemia Marko, Sandman, and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice, the Justice League, and all related characters are owned by DC and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **An away we go!**

* * *

Deep within the sub-levels of Project Prometheus, otherwise known by its real name of Project CADMUS, Dr. Desmond was pacing nervously. Only minutes before, several teenaged heroes had broken in and uncovered a few unsavoury secrets about the true intention of this installation. In addition to this, they'd learned about their most tightly held, and dangerous secret; Project Kr, the Superboy.

As a result, the Superboy had been used to detain the four after they had managed to escape from Guardian and the genomorphs several times beforehand. They were summarily defeated and captured within the very walls of Project Kr itself. With the four intruders captured, they had to move quickly, for fear of the Justice League discovering the location of their sidekicks.

It wasn't the looming threat of the League that had Desmond nervous though. Rather it was the reaction of his rather dangerous employers. He couldn't imagine that they'd be too lenient with him, upon discovery of the break in. Finally, after several minutes of debating, wherein his G-Gnome watched from its perch on the desk curiously, he finally managed to drum up the courage to call his employers. He stepped forward into a circle of light, as seven television monitors descended and encircled him. Each of the monitors flashed the CADMUS logo briefly, before they each showed a unique silhouette. These seven were the CADMUS board of directors, and the ones who had the final say over Desmond's career and well-being.

One of the figures spoke, his voice refined and yet gravelly, an undisguised mirth within its speech. "Doctor Desmond, you required an audience with the Light?"

"Yes" the scientist said with a nod. "Very sorry to disturb you at this late hour-"

"Just get to the point!" another of the figures interrupted impatiently.

"Of course" Desmond said weakly, before clearing his throat, and taking another moment to calm himself. "Well, we had a small fire here at Project Prometheus and the origin of the incident is still unclear but it seems to have attracted some… unwanted attention" He paused, watching them carefully. "Four sidekicks: Robin, Aqualad, Djinn, and Kid Flash breached security. They found and released the weapon, the Superboy. Of course the clone was under our telepathic control, and as ordered turned against his would-be liberators. The four are contained, and we don't believe the League knows they're here" he reported to them, before suddenly looking more confused and unsure. "Uh… what should I do with them?"

There was a drawn out pause before one of the figures answered him. "Clone them"

"The substitutes will serve the Light, and only the Light" the gravelly-voiced one continued. But his monitor's position alone, he appeared to be the head of this cabal.

"And… the originals?" Desmond pressed carefully.

"Dispose of them. Leave no trace" The leader answered without hesitation, as Desmond suddenly gained a sick, gleeful smile.

* * *

 **Washington D.C. – July 5, 00:01 EDT**

All throughout the city, the celebrations continued long into the night. Fireworks continued to be launched into the sky, where they detonated in a bright display of colours, while on the ground below, numerous people cheered and partied to their hearts' content.

Below ground, however, it was a different story entirely. Far below in sub-level 42, locked away by restraints within large glass tubes, were the unconscious forms of Robin, Djinn, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. They hung, almost in suspended animation, before a voice started to ring out in all of their minds.

' _Time runs short… you must awaken… you must awaken, NOW!'_

Kid Flash's eyes shot opened with a start as he gasped for air, looking around at his surroundings in confusion. What he found were his friends, they themselves having been abruptly awakened by the same voice. His eyes finally settled ahead of him, seeing the clone staring at him impassively, his brows furrowed in a glare.

"Well at least this isn't the strangest place I've woken up in" Keemia muttered, as Flash sneered at the clone.

"What?! What… what do you want?" the speedster yelled indignantly, as the clone's eyebrow quirked, almost in disbelief. "Quit staring, you're creeping me out!"

"Uh, KF? How about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" Robin suggested.

"I'm with the Pigeon here. These are not my fire-proof clothes" Keemia said, nodding hastily.

* * *

"Prepare the cloning Procedure for the new 'Project Sidekick' now" Desmond ordered the scientist, the same woman that Kid Flash had tripped earlier, as she walked off with a nod. Guardian was overseeing the repairs to the Project Kr laboratory, and turned to look at Desmond once he noticed the scientist stopping alongside him.

"Almost done here Doc" Guardian reported, as Desmond continued walking towards the door, seeing one of the G-Trolls holding it open, while another genomorph carefully welded the metal.

However, Desmond stopped dead in his tracks upon looking inside to see the room empty, the clone nowhere to be found. "Where's the weapon?" he asked, his teeth gritted in anger.

"Superboy? He carried the intruders to the cloning chamber" Guardian explained, almost as though it were obvious.

"We have genomorphs for that!" Desmond spat back, enraged. "Get the weapon back in its pod, now!"

"I don't see the harm in letting the kid stretch his legs" Guardian frowned.

"Don't you now?" Desmond asked with a condescending sneer as the G-Gnome on his shoulder started pressing its telepathic control on the hero.

The G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder relayed the message as the armoured hero's attitude suddenly shifted. "That clone belongs in a cage!" he growled before storming off as Desmond watched with a satisfied smirk. Telepathy could be so useful at times.

* * *

"We only sought to help you" Aqualad sighed, his voice clearly placating.

"Yeah, we free you, and you turn on us" Kid Flash added snidely. "How's that for grat-"

"Kid, please, be quiet now" Aqualad chastised him.

"Seriously Kid, if you don't take that foot out of your mouth I will kick it out, alongside your teeth!" Keemia scowled before Aqualad sent her a look to calm her down.

"I believe our new friend was not in control of his actions" the Atlantean surmised.

"You might have a point there. In a lab like this, there's no telling what kind of control they have over him" Keemia nodded. Unbeknownst to them, Robin flicked his fingers before retrieving a lock pick.

"What if I… what if I wasn't?" the clone asked, speaking in a voice that was being used for the first time in his life. It was weak and hoarse, but it cleared quickly.

"He can talk?!" Kid Flash asked in surprise.

"Yes, _**he**_ can" Superboy scowled in response, his fist clenching tightly with an audible crack.

Kid Flash looked at his less than impressed team mates sheepishly before speaking again. "Not like I said 'it'"

"Kid, remember what we discussed about feet in mouths?" Keemia asked him before Kaldur took over.

"The genomorphs taught you, telepathically" he said as Superboy nodded.

"They taught me much. I can read, write. I know the names of things"

"But have you seen them?" Robin asked. "Have they ever actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?"

"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not seen them" he admitted.

"Do you know what you are? Who you are?" Aqualad asked.

"I am the Superboy" the clone said proudly. "A genomorph, a clone created from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish, destroy him should he turn from the Light"

The others seemed to reel a little from this revelation, but Aqualad continued. "To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration. But like Superman you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod. Beyond CADMUS"

"I live because of CADMUS! It is my home!" the clone barked.

"Your home is a test tube" Robin reasoned. "We can show you the sun"

"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight. But we can show you the moon" Kid Flash corrected.

"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman" Aqualad smiled as the clone looked at him in surprise.

"He plays poker with my dad sometimes, so it wouldn't be too hard" Keemia grinned before the door opened.

"No, they can't" Desmond said, entering the lab alongside Guardian and the female scientist. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process" he ordered.

"Pass, Batcave's crowded enough" Robin snarked.

Desmond seemed unperturbed as he looked to guardian with a scowl. "And get the weapon back in its pod!"

"Hey, how come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?" KF asked indignantly.

Guardian walked up to stand next to Superboy before placing a firm hand on his shoulder. The clone turned to look at the trapped heroes, unsure. Keemia stared back at him, her eyes filled with worry and determination. "Help us" she asked quietly.

Before guardian could get the clone to start moving, Superboy shook his hand off easily, flashing the hero a defiant glare.

"Don't start thinking now" Desmond chided as a G-Gnome leapt from the scientist's shoulder and onto Superboy, its telepathy being pressed on him in full force. Superboy tried to resist at first, but slowly the control won over him.

"See you're not a real boy, you're a weapon. And you belong to me!" Desmond said tersely, standing in front of the clone. He seemed to pause at that, frowning a little. "Well to CADMUS. Same thing. Now get back to your pod!" he ordered, as the clone turned and left the laboratory. The large door slowly slid closed behind him, before Desmond turned to the female scientist who was busy typing away at the keypad. They shared a look before Desmond nodded and she initiated the cloning procedure.

Immediately several probes tipped with needles emerged from their pods before stabbing into the heroes' torsos to begin extracting their DNA. Kid Flash was first, followed soon after by Robin and Aqualad, as Keemia looked to hers fearfully. "Oh I so don't want to be next" she muttered before they stabbed her too. All four heroes screamed and convulsed in pain as blood and other tissues were ripped from their bodies.

Desmond watched the procedure before frowning to himself. "Where's Dubbilex?" he asked, turning around only to see the genomorph scientist waiting behind him expectantly, startling himself. "Oh! Lurking as usual. Get the G-Gnomes downloading their memories. When that's done, delete the source material"

Amidst their screams of pain, Aqualad slowly forced himself to speak. "Superboy… you live…" he whispered in a hushed tone, knowing that the Kryptonian's hearing could detect him. "That gives you the right to follow your own path… a weapon… or a person…"

Further down the hall from the lab, Superboy continued marching back to his pod, the G-Gnome still perched on his shoulder as it fed him commands. However, he was able to pick up Aqualad's voice as it slowly broke through the G-Gnome's control.

"The choice is yours, but ask yourself… what would Superman do?" Kaldur finished, causing the clone to halt in his tracks.

Superboy's eyes became focused on the floor, his thoughts returning to what Kaldur had just told him. What would Superman do? He debated this internally for only a second before looking up, his eyes narrowed in determination.

He had made his choice.

Superman's choice.

* * *

The cloning procedure would suddenly be interrupted as the door to the laboratory was torn off of the wall, and lifted into the air by Superboy. This startled the scientists enough for them to halt the extraction, the needles removing themselves from the heroes.

"Oh thank god" Keemia gasped before inspecting her wounded chest. " **Laeh ruo sdnuow!** "

In a second, the bleeding punctures in their chests were closed as Aqualad looked up with a thankful smile to see Superboy tossing away the massive door.

Desmond scowled before rushing over to the clone, with Dubbilex and Guardian doing the same. "I told you to get back to your-"

Superboy cut him off by simply tossing the three aside with minimal effort, causing them to collide with the walls of the lab and slump to the floor. "Don't give me orders" the clone snarled before continuing to the trapped heroes.

"You gonna help us, or fry us?" Kid Flash asked curiously, while Superboy simply fixed him with a look.

"Huh, I don't seem to have heat-vision, so I suppose helping is my only option" he smirked, silencing the speedster as Keemia laughed.

"Ooh, I like him already" the young sorceress grinned before a brief hissing of air announced to everyone that Robin had managed to get free of his shackles, dropping to the floor before he rubbed his sore wrists.

"Ugh, finally! Lucky Batman isn't here, he'd have my head for taking so long" the boy wonder groaned while Kid Flash simply glared at him.

"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" the speedster chastised him, before Robin ran to the control panel and opened their pods.

"Free Djinn and Aqualad! I'll get Kid Mouth" Robin said before Superboy scowled at him too.

"Don't you give me orders either!" the clone declared before jumping up to the pods and shattering Aqualad's restraints, catching his body as he fell.

"Thank you" Aqualad nodded with a smile, before dropping to the floor as Superboy freed Keemia and carried her to the ground bridal-style.

"Thanks for the lift" She smiled before stepping down and summoning magic circles to her hands. " **Evig em ym ffats!** " she cast before putting her palms together, and pulling them apart to retrieve her staff from elsewhere in the base. "Much better"

Robin simply picked the locks on Kid Flash's restraints before he too was freed, and the five teens ran towards the exit. Desmond slowly looked up, groaning in pain. "You… you'll never get out of here! I'll have you all back in pods before morning!"

As the five escaped, Robin stopped to throw several explosive discs at the domes which held their stolen genetic material. "That guy is not whelmed. Not whelmed at all"

"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash asked as the two of them followed after their friends. Once they had left, the discs connected with the glass domes before exploding, destroying their portion of the lab. Desmond watched the destruction in anger before turning to the door as his G-Gnome leapt onto his shoulder.

"Activate every genomorph in CADMUS" he ordered angrily. Immediately, his G-Gnome gave the command. All throughout the halls and sub-levels, large egg sacs along the walls and ceilings would suddenly glow a dull orange, as the genomorphs inside quickly hatched and emerged from the eggs, before beginning their own pursuit of the heroes.

* * *

"We are still 42 levels below ground" Kaldur pointed out to his allies as they ran through the halls. They had managed to make some decent headway after escaping the lab, but none of them wanted to slow down for fear of the forces that continued to pursue them. "But, if we can make the elevator…"

His sentence slowly trailed off as from around the corner up ahead, several large G-Trolls emerged, blocking their path to the elevator. The five stopped quickly, turning around to see several of the eggs along the walls hatching to reveal more genomorphs.

One of the G-Trolls caught up to them, before raising its arms above its head, prepared to smash them. The teenagers nimbly dodged out of the way. Robin and Kid Flash used their greater agility to leap over the G-Trolls, while Aqualad muscled his way through. Keemia simply used her magic to fly over them.

Superboy, had a different plan. He gave a battle cry before leaping into the air and punching one of the G-Trolls away into the wall. He was quickly met by the fist of another that punched him into the floor. He quickly stood back up however, and retaliated with several vicious blows of his own. His miniature rampage was halted by Aqualad.

"Superboy! The goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here" the Atlantean called, as Superboy turned to look at them with a wild look in his eyes.

"You want escape?" He yelled, before grasped one of the downed G-Trolls and throwing it into its compatriots, who were attempting to pursue them. Afterwards, he caught up with the others at the elevator door, where Aqualad had wrenched it open with his super-strength.

Kid Flash jumped into one of the side railings inside before Keemia conjured a quick platform for him and herself to ascend through the shaft Robin used his grapple to quickly follow after them, while Superboy grasped Aqualad before leaping up after them, barely escaping the massive fist of another G-Troll.

He sailed through the air, rapidly gaining height before the unexpected happened. He reached the peak of his arc, before his ascent ended. "I… I'm falling…" he said in shock as the two were suddenly sent hurtling down the elevator shaft by gravity. Robin saw their fall and quickly threw a batarang into the wall of the shaft, which Aqualad quickly grasped to save themselves.

"Superman can fly… why can't I fly?" Superboy asked in a whisper, almost heartbroken by the revelation, before Keemia's platform met up with him and Aqualad.

"Don't know" mused Kid Flash. "But it looks like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Still cool"

He nodded solemnly before looking at Keemia. "Thank you"

"Guys, this'll have to be our exit!" Robin called, as he pointed up to a rapidly descending elevator bearing down on them.

Aqualad and Superboy used their combine strength to punch through the door, as they and their friends quickly leapt into sublevel-15, avoiding the elevator my mere seconds. They didn't have very long to catch their breath, as several genomorphs charged towards them from down the hall. They quickly turned down the hallway to their immediate left as the made their escape, however it was obvious they were running blind, without any idea of where they were heading.

' _Turn left brother_ ' a voice called out to Superboy. His eyes widened in surprise at first, unsure of what to make of the command. However, he decided that this help was better than no help at all.

"Go left! Left!" the clone ordered as the four heroes followed his directions.

'Turn right' the voice repeated, as Superboy gave a small nod.

"Right!" the clone called out. Again the four obeyed him, only for the group to suddenly find themselves at a dead end.

"Great directions Supey, you trying to get us re-podded?" Kid Flash asked with as cowl as Superboy's shoulders deflated.

"No. I… I don't understand" he admitted as the others caught up to them.

"Don't apologize, this is perfect!" Robin said with a grin, before pointing to the vent high on the wall above them. The genomorphs in pursuit would soon find an empty corner with the grate of the air vent discarded on the floor.

* * *

Inside the vent, it was rather cramped, but there was still room enough for the five teenagers to crawl through. Robin was in lead, a confident smirk on his face as he led them through with his digital blue prints.

"Y'know, the view isn't so bad from here" Kid Flash joked with a small smirk. Keemia, who was right in front of him, sent a dangerous glare that sent shivers down his spine.

"You'd better enjoy it then, because after this you won't have the eyes to see anything else" she scowled.

The speedster seemed to shiver slightly before they continued their path through the vents. However, their slow progress wore on his nerves greatly. "At this rate, we'll never get out" he grumbled before Superboy suddenly stopped.

"Shh, listen" the clone urged, before turning his head to looks behind them. Barely a hundred feet back, and quickly in pursuit were several of the smaller genomorphs that could fit in the vent after them, and they were bearing down on the heroes rapidly.

* * *

In the halls outside, Desmond the lead the charge, holding some sort of computer tracker in his hand. Alongside him were Guardian, Dubbilex, and some more genomorphs as they quickly followed in the hallways alongside the vents.

"Someone, Robin I'd wager, hacked our systems, deactivating internal security cameras. But he neglected the motion sensors" he smirked as he looked at his tracker, seeing five signatures moving rapidly around the corner to an exit in the vents.

The group rounded the corner, coming upon the men's washroom. "The genomorphs are closing in, they're all coming out in here!" he said confidently, barging inside before waiting under the vent expectantly. "We have them cornered!"

The signatures on the tracker were rapidly approaching their location, and Desmond gave a cocky smirk as the signatures finally came to the bathroom vent. However, his smirk soon vanished after the vent crashed open and five genomorph fell out, having lost track of the escaped teens.

They fell onto the assembled group before Desmond quickly stood up, throwing genomorphs off of him with a scowl. "He hacked the motion sensors" the doctor seethed angrily.

* * *

"I hacked the motion sensors" Robin smirked, the five having emerged from the vents elsewhere long ago.

"Sweet!" Barry grinned before Robin shook his head slightly, standing up.

"Still plenty of them between us and out" Robin reminded him.

"But I've finally got room to move" Barry smirked, as he pulled his goggles on and opened the door to an adjacent emergency staircase. With little preamble, he immediately took off running up the multiple flights.

As he quickly sped on up, a small pack of genomorphs were descending the stairs after the heroes, ready to pounce on them when they got close. Barry simply sped up before ploughing through them all, leaving their unconscious forms littered along the landing for the sixth sub-level. The other heroes followed behind him as Robin brought his holoscreen up to check the motion sensors.

"More behind us!" he called as Superboy turned to see them scrambled up the stairs in pursuit. He raised one foot before stomping down on the top step of the staircase, causing it to come loose and fall to the landing below, preventing the genomorphs from pursuing any further.

* * *

Inside one of the many service elevators, Desmond was impatiently watching the numbers slowly decrease as they ascended to the top floor. "We'll cut them off at sublevel-one" Guardian assured the frenzied scientist as Desmond gave a weak nod of recognition.

"We'd better, or the board will have our heads… my head" he grimaced at the thought, before suddenly pressing the emergency stop button on their elevator, allowing him off at sub-level six.

"I need to get something from Project Blockbuster, just in case. Meet you at sub-level one!" the scientist said before rushing out. Dubbilex watched him run out of the elevator impassively, while Guardian stared at Desmond with undisguised suspicion.

* * *

Kid Flash finally ran up the final staircase, emerging on sub-level one, as he sped off down a large expanse of hallway. Up ahead though, alarms started blaring as a massive blast door came down. Blocking off the exit.

"Oh crud" he muttered, trying to skid to a stop, but eventually colliding with the door instead.

"We're cut off from the street" Aqualad grimaced.

"Thanks, my head hadn't noticed" the speedster snarked as Superboy approached the door, a determined look on his face.

With a loud grunt of exertion he punched the door, before attempting to use his strength to pull it open. Aqualad joined him, but even with his added strength the door wouldn't budge.

"Let me try" Keemia said, motioning the two out of the way. " **Yortsed eht rood!** " she cast, before launching a deep black tendril of magic energy at the door. However, the energy simply fizzled out once it made contact with the metal. "Ugh, Nth metal. Whoever made this place spared no expense" she groaned.

'You need destruction… you desire destruction…' a sultry voice echoed in her head, before she frowned. "Let me try again" she mused, the same black energy surrounding her hands.

"No time. Can't hack this fast enough!" Robin called out, typing from his holoscreen before the sudden approach of several G-Trolls caught their attention.

"This way!" Robin said quickly, kicking open a side door as the five dashed through to escape the G-Trolls, only to find themselves in front of a large crowd of genomorphs. Leading them all, with an impassive look on his face, was Guardian.

Behind them, another crowd of genomorphs approached, led by a rather large G-Troll. The five saw they were surrounded and got into battle stances, ready for combat. However, the numerous G-Gnomes in the room combined their telepathy to knock them out as the heroes fell to floor, with Superboy having enough balance to fall to his knees.

"Perhaps, for the sake of all genomorphs our brother Superboy should make up his own mind" Dubbilex said, suddenly arriving as the other genomorphs appeared to listen to him.

Superboy's eyes widened in surprise, hearing Dubbilex's voice inside his mind as well, as he turned to look at the scientist. He immediately recognized his voice as the one that guided them to the vent. "It was you!"

"Yes brother. I set the fire and led your new friends down into CADMUS, woke them when they were in danger…" Dubbilex explained.

"And guided me" Superboy continued. "Why?"

"Because you are our hope; the genomorph hero. You will blaze a trail for all our brothers, showing us the way to freedom" Dubbilex said, all of the genomorphs now looking at Superboy placidly.

After he spoke, the G-Gnome on Guardian's shoulder suddenly ceased its control over the hero before leaping off. Guardian groaned as he regained his mind. "What's going on?" he asked, as the other heroes around Superboy started to wake up.

Superboy stood tall, looking at Dubbilex, unsure of what to do. "What is your choice brother?" the scientist asked.

"I choose… freedom" Superboy decided as Dubbilex gave the slightest of nods.

"Feels like fog lifting" Guardian said, sighing in relief as the heroes all stood up, looking at him warily.

"Guardian?" Aqualad asked carefully, not sure if the control over the man had been completely broken once the G-Gnome jumped off of him.

"Go" the older hero said. "I'll deal with Desmond"

"I think not" Desmond said with a scowl, as the genomorphs all stepped out of the way to give the heroes a clear view of the enraged scientist. Desmond looked at the heroes in front of him before raising a small glass test tube. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to CADMUS" he declared before suddenly drinking the concoction.

Guardian stepped back towards the teens as Desmond groaned painfully, his body convulsing and contorting before the man fell forward on the ground with a cry of pain. He gave a deep guttural growl as his muscles tripled in mass, tearing through his clothes, and his skin quite literally ripped off of his body.

"I think I'm gonna be sick" Keemia grimaced as Desmond's new hulking form stood above them. The last shreds of his skin falling from a now eight feet tall, stone skinned body, save for the ragged chunks of flesh still attached to his face alongside what remained of his hair. The monster roared aggressively before fixing the heroes with a feral grin.

"Everyone, back!" Guardian ordered, as the older hero ran forward to engage Blockbuster.

Blockbuster was far faster however, as he used his greater strength to backhand the hero into a wall, easily knocking him out.

"Well that was quick" Keemia dead-panned before Superboy leapt forward to engage him, punching the beast square in the jaw. Blockbuster stumbled back before slamming the clone into the floor, however Superboy was back on his feet within seconds, delivering two wicked blows to Blockbusters face. The hulking brute gave another roar before punching Superboy across the room. Superboy growled in response before leaping high into the air, hoping to bring both fists down onto the monster, but Blockbuster leapt after him, grabbing the clone as both suddenly burst through the ceiling to the ground floor of CADMUS; the original Prometheus façade.

"Okay that's… one way to bust through the ceiling" Robin said before firing his grapple through the hole.

"You think lab coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked as Robin grabbed his hand, using the grapple to pull them both up to the ground floor.

"I doubt he is planning anything anymore" Aqualad said, shaking his head.

"You and me both Kal" Keemia added before the two joined their allies. Aqualad leapt up to the next floor while Keemia floated in on her staff.

Once outside, they found Superboy being clutched tightly by Blockbuster before he suddenly burst free of the monster's grip. Blockbuster simply grasped his calves before throwing him backwards where he crashed into Aqualad and Djinn, sending all three heroes skidding across the floor roughly.

Kid Flash and Robin quickly ran after to check on their friends, with Robin helping up Djinn and Superboy, while Kid Flash helped with Aqualad. All five looked up at Blockbuster, who gave another feral roar before charging them. The heroes followed suit, with Kid Flash rushing ahead with his great speed. He slid between the monster's legs, easily dodging a punch before crouching behind him. Blockbuster was left wide open for Superboy and Aqualad to each deliver a vicious punch to his face. The monster stumbled back from the blow, and Kid Flash suddenly jerked upwards, causing the monster to lose its footing and fall to the floor.

"Learned that one in kindergarten" Barry smirked as Robin leapt over his head, throwing two batarangs at the creature.

Blockbuster batted them aside with his arm, however that left him open for Djinn, who reached into the pouch on her belt, retrieving a handful of sand. " **Gnirettab mar!** " she shouted, as the handful of sand suddenly gained several tons of mass, before forming into a massive column and slamming into Blockbuster. The monster rolled across the floor before attempting to stand, seeing Superboy standing in front of it ready to attack.

Blockbuster stood before rushing the young hero, grasping his sides roughly and rushing forward, slamming Superboy into one of the large stone pillars. The pillar cracked and crumbled under the force of the impact, as Superboy threw two punches at the creature. Blockbuster retaliated with two of his own punches, further forcing the clone through the stone of the pillar before his fist was caught by a tendril of water.

He turned, seeing Aqualad rushing him, the Atlantean kicked the creature in the face before perching on the pillar above Superboy, turning the water from the tendril into a mace. Blockbuster caught the mace as he swung it before tossing the Atlantean into the floor painfully. Superboy was then flung into an adjacent pillar which buckled under the force of the impact, before the clone fell to the floor.

Kid Flash raced past the downed Superboy, accelerating towards Blockbuster, who was attempting to stomp on the young Atlantean. Kaldur rolled out of the way, as Kid Flash tried to launch his own attack. He was easily caught by the monster and flung into the air before being grabbed by the wrist and getting tossed into Kaldur, who was attempting to counterattack with another mace.

"Alright, time for one of Z's favourites: **Roolf emoceb sruasonid!** " Djinn called out, magic swirling around her fingers before the stone floor in front of her was transformed into a multitude of raptors, and one very irate Triceratops.

The raptors charged Blockbuster immediately, their speed and claws inflicting several shallow yet scathing wounds. Blockbuster simply grasped the tail of one before using it as a flail to crush its compatriots. The dinosaur in his hand soon crumbled away, before the Triceratops charged into him, both hulking brutes impacting the wall. Blockbuster grunted before savagely punching the dinosaur's face, completely destroying the stone that made it.

" **Hctirdle tsalb!** " Keemia cast, firing two massive beams if arcane energy at Blockbuster, forcing him back into the wall. However, it used its arms to shelter its face as it slowly advanced on the young sorceress. Keemia's eyes widened and she tried to pump more energy into the attack, however it proved in vain as the monster suddenly punched her in the ribs where she landed next to Kaldur.

The Atlantean shot her a brief look of worry before Blockbuster rounded on him again, punching the Atlantean through a nearby pillar, and then into another. Robin watched as every single blow that Blockbuster made shook the very foundation of the building itself as a plan started to form in his mind.

"Of course!" he exclaimed before bringing up his holoscreen. "KF, get over here!" he called, as the speedster got to his feet before rushing over to meet him.

Aqualad used one of his water bearers to form a small shield, protecting against Blockbuster's punches as Superboy got back up. The clone punched Blockbuster twice in the knees before jumping on his back and attempting to put him into a chokehold. Blockbuster tossed Aqualad aside before he threw Superboy into the remains of the pillar, thoroughly destroying it.

The new damage registered on Robin's holoscreen, displaying a loss of structural integrity. "Got it?" Robin asked Kid Flash, who looked at the diagram before nodding.

"Got it!" the speedster grinned before Robin looked back to Blockbuster.

"Go!"

On Robin's command, Kid Flash ran towards the monster, who was grasping the downed Superboy, before stopping and leaping into Blockbuster's face. His blow seemed to glance off of the creature before he rolled away along the floor, noticing what he now clutched in his hand.

"Got your nose!" Kid Flash taunted, holding up the last remains of the skin from Blockbuster's face, as the monster gave an angry roar before charging at the speedster, completely forgetting about the clone as he pursued his new target.

"Ugh, that hurt" Keemia groaned as Aqualad helped her up, both heroes standing alongside Superboy.

"Superboy, Djinn, Aqualad!" Robin called, before showing them the same plan he showed to Kid Flash.

"Come and get me you incredible Bulk!" Barry taunted before nimbly dodging a punch from Blockbuster, who instead struck the pillar behind it, easily destroying most of the stonework. However, he had to dodge another attack from the monster, who attempted to jump on him. When that failed, the monster swung its fist out, striking Kid Flash in the back and knocking him across the room.

"I know someone who could have an interesting discussion about copyright with Barry" Keemia mused, clutching her ribs gently as Robin pointed to three pillars.

"This one, and those ones!" the boy wonder ordered as Superboy, Djinn, and Aqualad took off and set to work destroying them. Superboy simply punched through his, while Aqualad made a large sledgehammer to attack his pillar. Djinn used to magic to easily decimate her own, while Robin threw several explosive discs.

Blockbuster continued his attempt to attack Barry, however each successive punch ended up being one failure after another for the former scientist. "Sorry, try again" he grinned, easily dodging another punch from Blockbuster before speeding off to try luring it to another pillar.

Robin meanwhile, pulled out some chalk before drawing a massive 'X' in the floor, right in the center of the room. Aqualad followed up by using his water bearers to coat the floor with a thin sheet of water. Kid Flash then speed through, spreading the water even further, with Blockbuster in hot pursuit. Superboy was ready however, and jumped in the air before punching the monster, sending it crashing to the floor in the water.

Blockbuster attempted to get up, but Djinn made was ready as magic once again swirled around her fingers. " **Dlem sih niks ot eht roolf!** " she spoke, as Blockbuster suddenly found himself unable to get up, his back quite literally stuck to the ground.

With their plan realized, Aqualad smirked before sending a massive burst of electricity through the water, shocking Blockbuster painfully as the monster finally managed to tear himself free from where Djinn had trapped him. The electricity ensured that he wouldn't be moving however, as Robin quickly turned to the others.

"Move!" he urged, as the explosive discs on the remaining pillars all suddenly activated, before detonating and destroying the remaining pillars that held up the building. Almost immediately the entire foundation shook as the roof caved in, burying the surprised Blockbuster under several tons of stone and rubble.

The rest of the building soon followed suit as Superboy and Aqualad quickly moved to cover their more vulnerable teammates, shielding them from the debris. The surrounding blocks shook as the remains of Project Prometheus collapsed into the ground, sending a large column of dust into the sky, and cracking the pavement all along the street from the stress of the impact.

* * *

As the dust settled around the rubble, Superboy punched his arm free, before moving the large piece of stone that covered him in order to free his teammates.

Aqualad panted heavily, his shirt torn slightly as he turned to look at Robin and Kid Flash. "We… did it" he said with a tired smile.

"Was there… ever any doubt?" Robin asked, his own tired smile broad across his face before he and Kid Flash hi-fived, and immediately regretted it due to the pain it caused their aching bodies.

"That… was tiring" Keemia grimaced still clutching her bruises. "Next time you want to sneak out like this Pigeon, can we at least bring some semblance of a plan?"

Superboy walked past them, before stopping at the sight of the downed Blockbuster. The villain was firmly trapped under the rubble, and very clearly unconscious. He wouldn't be causing them any trouble for quite a while. His attention would soon be called back by Kid Flash.

"See?" the speedster called before directing Superboy's attention to the sky behind them. "The moon!"

Superboy looked up at the full moon in awe, finally seeing what he had up to this point only been told about. A familiar silhouette soon appeared from the moon however, revealing itself to be Superman, as the man of steel quickly flew onto the scene.

"Oh, and Superman. Do we keep our promises or what?" Kid Flash grinned as Superboy's eyes only opened wider at the new arrival.

"Uh… Barry?" Keemia said nervously before other heroes suddenly came into view. At first, it was only Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Shazam, and Red Tornado. But the young heroes soon noticed as more and more of the League showed up. Keemia in particular noticed her dad fixing her with a conflicted face. It was almost like he couldn't decide whether he was disappointed, worried, or proud.

Finally, once almost thirty members of the League were assembled, Batman walked up behind Superman, both heroes looking at the teens expectantly. Superboy stepped forwards, stopping in front of Superman who eyed him carefully. After taking a moment, he lifted up the torn front of his solar suit to reveal the crest of the House of El, a small smile on his face.

Seeing that symbol on his suit shook Superman to his very core, as Batman's own eyes narrowed. "Is that what I think it is?" the dark knight asked, almost rhetorically.

"He doesn't like being called an it" Kid Flash muttered.

"I'm Superman's clone" Superboy announced, as the entire League suddenly looked among themselves in surprise. However, none of the young heroes could determine if the surprise was out of wonder… or fear.

Batman's eyes narrowed even further if possible. "Start talking"

* * *

Once Blockbuster was retrieved, a small group of Leaguers went to deliver the monster to prison. Blockbuster itself was being held firmly inside a bubble generated by John Stewart, the lantern on duty for the night.

Further back, Guardian had managed to escape the rubble and was conversing with Batman and some of the other remaining Leaguers about the situation, while Keemia was pulled away by her dad and Zatanna.

"Dad, trust me I'm fine!" she assured her father, who only raised his eyebrow skeptically in response.

"Oh yeah? Then why you clutching your ribs like that?" Flint asked, folding his arms.

Keemia only huffed in response before Zatanna rolled her eyes. " **Dnem reh nekorb bsir** " the older sorceress spoke, before there was a sudden crunch of bone. Keemia screamed in surprise at the brief flash of pain before gingerly touching where the bones had now been completely healed.

"Your magic will heal it the rest of the way. But make no mistake, when you get home you're so grounded" Zatanna said seriously.

"Crap" Keemia sighed before nodding and going back to where her friends were standing, as her parents continued to watch her, clearly still worried.

Superboy nodded as she returned before turning back to where Superman was talking with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. J'onn took notice before nudging Superman and pointing him towards his clone.

There was a brief pause as Clark seemed to sigh before he walked over to where Superboy was standing. "We'll uh… we'll figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now I… better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away" he said before bidding a hasty retreat as he flew off after Green Lantern and the others on prison transport.

Superboy watched after him, disappointment clear on his voice. However, he didn't have long to dwell on it before Batman approached with Flash, Aquaman, and Sandman.

"Prometheus will be investigated. All 52 levels" Batman said in his usual monotone. "But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should have called!" Flash interrupted, Batman giving him a small glare before he continued.

"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again"

"I am sorry, but we will" Aqualad said defiantly.

"Aqualad, stand down" Aquaman ordered.

"Apologies my King, but no" he said, shaking his head. Aquaman looked at him, surprise very clearly evident on his face at being disobeyed. "We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together, on our own we forged something powerful, important"

"If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-" Flash started before being interrupted.

"The five of us" Kid Flash corrected. "And it's not"

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?" Robin asked.

"Besides, we did more tonight than you did on this case. Like did you know that Project Prometheus was only a front?" Keemia asked as the Leaguers looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, it is. The real facility underground? It's a revived Project CADMUS"

At that, the four Leaguers were immediately on red alert, each one looking incredibly unnerved.

"I thought we disposed of them for good? No way Waller knows about this one Bats" Flint mused, still reeling from the surprise.

"So yeah, we investigated this, and took care of it for you. And we will be doing this again" she continued.

"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy asked, clearly annoyed. "It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way"

All five teenagers stood together defiantly in front of the League, as each of the present senior heroes seemed unsure how to proceed. Batman's eyes narrowed into the bat-glare, as he very clearly processed what was just revealed, as well as the intent of the younger heroes. Finally, he came to the only possible conclusion.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – July 8** **th** **, 08:04 EDT**

"This cave was one of many backup bases of the Justice League that had since been used for general storage purposes. We're calling it into service again, since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight. You'll do it in League terms" Batman explained, standing in front of the five teens who had all since changed into their civilian wear. Kaldur was in a turtleneck jacket, zipped up all the way to cover his gills, as well as dark blue track pants. Superboy had a black t-shirt with the House of El crest in red, as well as blue jeans. Tim had an orange hoodie with a black jacket over top, and black skinny jeans. In addition he had a pair of black sunglasses which he apparently wore at all times in public when not on duty. Barry was in a long sleeved white shirt, with an open short-sleeved blue shirt over top as well as khaki pants. Keemia was in a blue jean-jacket, with a plain green shirt underneath. She had black skinny jeans, and a green beanie worn loosely on her head. She also put her piercings back in, with a stud in one ear, and two hoops in the other.

The cave itself laid inside a mountain right next to the small coastal town of Happy Harbour. The town's small size and remote location made it the perfect retreat for the Justice if worst came to worst, and hopefully the same peace would translate over for the team during their stay.

As the teens gave nods to show they understood, Batman continued, gesturing to two of the Leaguers who were also present. "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions"

"Real missions?" Tim asked hopefully.

"Yes, but covert" Batman nodded.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff" Flash continued. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests"

"But CADMUS proves the bad guys are getting smarter. Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly" Aquaman said with a small smirk.

"And trust us, with stuff like that Blockbuster guy sneaking around, we're gonna need you on the sly" Flint said, adding his two cents.

"The six of you will be that team" Batman finished.

"Cool!" Tim grinned before realising what he said. "Wait, six?"

Batman looked past them, garnering their attention, as they saw Martian Manhunter arrive, with what was unmistakably a younger, female green martian. "This is the Martian Manhunter's niece; Miss Martian"

"Hi" she greeted, albeit shyly.

"Liking this gig more every minute" Barry grinned before rushing forward to introduce himself. "Uh, welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Djinn, Aqualad. It's cool if you forget their names"

Keemia rolled her eyes as he made his introductions. "Ugh, what a pig" she muttered, although no one seemed to hear her.

"I'm honoured to be included" she smiled as the other walked forwards to introduce themselves.

"I'm just glad I'm no longer the only girl on the team" Keemia smiled as she shook Miss Martian's hand.

"I'm sure we'll be good friends" the martian smiled kindly, while Tim turned to see Superboy hanging back.

"Hey Superboy, come meet Miss M" the boy wonder suggested, as the clone made his way forward, unsure at first.

She looked at him with a soft smile before her shirt changed colour before their eyes from white to black to match Superboy's. "I like your t-shirt" she said shyly. Superboy gave a small smile of his own at that, while Tim nudged him playfully and Barry ran around to put an arm around his shoulder with a grin. Keemia simply shook her head at their antics before standing next to Kaldur.

Kaldur seemed to regard them all carefully, his hands on his hips before he gave a wide smile. "Today is the day"

* * *

Far from the new base that was being constructed for the young heroes, a woman found herself lost in thought, a frown etched on her face. Amanda Waller was not easily shaken, but when one of her operatives informed her that not only was CADMUS still around, but still conducting illegal genetic experiments, she was suddenly very alarmed.

She knew that the League had to be informed immediately, but she figured that with the construction of the Project Prometheus building, which was being used as a front for the new CADMUS, they probably already knew. Still, she at least needed to talk to Batman, and let him know that she had no part in this operation.

The League still didn't trust her completely, but they at the very least are willing to give her the benefit of the doubt now. And the Question no longer flinches when she enters the same room as him, so she supposed that was a bonus.

She took a long sip of her brandy before pondering another piece of information given to her. Apparently, the League was seeing fit to make a team for their sidekicks, almost like a Junior Justice League. She chuckled at the thought. However, using a team to train these new heroes would probably be for the best. It would help them immeasurably. It could help her immeasurably…

"Miss Waller? Is everything okay?" a voice suddenly asked. Amanda, blinked once, coming back to the real world turning to the course of the voice.

"Yes, everything is okay child. And please, I've told you to call me Amanda" she said, chastising the girl lightly.

"I know… but I could hear some of your thoughts. I didn't mean to…" the girl said shyly.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it" Waller said before setting her glass down and stand up out of her armchair to look out her living room window briefly. A thought flashed through her mind before she nodded. It would do the girl some good to be around kids her own age.

"Miss W… er…. Amanda?" the girl asked. "Did you need something?"

Waller thought for a moment, making a final judgement call before nodding. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do" she said before turning to face the girl, a small smile tugging at her cheeks. "How would you like to join a team of heroes your own age?"

* * *

Back in the ruins of the old Project Prometheus, construction crews were working hard to remove the rubble. Underground however, Guardian had called a meeting with Dubbilex and the other scientists. "CADMUS changes today" he announced seriously. "With Desmond out of the way the board has put me in charge. Dr. Spence, you're acting chief scientist. No more G-Gnomes suppressing our wills. No more secret breeding projects. We need to move past our destructive nature that almost killed the Justice League all those years ago. This is a kinder, gentler CADMUS"

"Then I will of course help in any way I can brother" Dubbilex added.

This conversation was secretly being watched by the seven figures on the monitor who had met with Desmond earlier. None of them were particularly pleased with the turn of events.

"Can the light afford to leave Guardian in charge without the G-Gnomes?" one asked

"We have subtler means of control" another added. "What concerns me, is the children. We now know the League is willing to employ young heroes to do their dirty work" he continued, bringing up an image of the five teens escaping the laboratory.

"That's a dark twist" the first figure said, chuckled lightly.

"Yes, but one that can be played to our advantage. Even the temporary loss of the weapon may prove useful" Their leader said seriously. "Eventually, everyone sees the Light"

* * *

 **And another chapter is done! With the team having officially formed!  
**

 **A little shorter than the last one maybe, but hopefully future ones will be longer.**

 **Some original stuff here as well, namely the reveal of CADMUS having been revived. As well as Amanda Waller's cameo. She will have a significant part to play in this, as well as with another new member of the team. In fact, this new member was seen talking to her here! Can you guess who she is? (Anyone who guesses correctly will have my serious respect and awe)**

 **Hopefully this chapter helped to flesh out more of Keemia's personality, as well as how she'll interact with the team. Since in the normal Marvel canon she hasn't really been used, she's practically a blank slate for me. Her civilian clothes were also inspired by her appearance in the recent Marvel Spider-Man cartoon. The show itself sucks... it REALLY sucks. But seeing Keemia in it was honestly kind of awesome. Not sure how to feel about what they've done with her, and I really hope she shows up again. But her look was great, so I went with that sort of aesthetic for Keemia. She's more skater punk after all.**

 **But next time, the team will face their first (sort of) mission! And it'll be right there in their hometown. But what will Amanda Waller have to do with it?**

 **Find out next time!  
**

 **As always, be sure to review. I love reading through them all.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	3. Welcome to Happy Harbor

**Alrighty! Waffles is back with yet another chapter!**

 **Expect another one soon too, as I've been on a recent writing kick as of late. Got lots of inspiration, and I'm super excited to get to work.**

 **One thing that I have to mention with this particular chapter is that there is a great deal of original content here. I deviate quite a bit from what happens in the original episode this is based off of, but that's just to help tie together different plot points I have. Rest assured though, I left the turbed line intact. I mean how could I not? It's a great line!**

 **However, before we can continue any further, I got some reviews to answer!:**

 **VladImpaler: I'm glad you like the change. It makes it much easier to see on my end as well**

 **Thunderstrike16: They some of the most fun characters to write! Also, an interesting guess...**

 **CRUDEN: Terry would have been cool, but the timeline isn't quite there yet**

 **xbox432: Why yes, I am a D &D fan. I really enjoy the game, so expect a few more easter eggs like that one to show up in the future**

 **Lucian Naruto: Agreed, Superman is now Super-Jerk. But rest assured, someone will come in to help Conner**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Agreed, Superman is being a douchebag. But don't worry, he'll have that pointed out to him soon enough. There is certainly potential for some of those underrated teams to show up. The New Guardians won't, that's for sure (Gregorio in my head-canon just joined the JL, not the Guardians), but rest assured, a certain cocaine themed villain will be showing up! Wildstorm characters sound like fun, but I honestly don't know enough about them unfortunately. It'll have to be relegated to cameo appearances for now if they do appear. Since Rebirth is so new, and I'm still reading through a lot of it right now, I'm not sure I'll be adapting any specific events into this series. Except for maybe Milk Wars, that could be hilarious. There is exactly a one year time gap between the end of Sandman Unlimited (Not the epilogue, but where they descend the stairs) and the beginning of Alchemic Justice. Some of the time that passed between the two will be explored, but not in this story. It will be explored more in a side-story I'm working on. As for this character you have in mind, I'm certainly interested to know who it is. I may be able to incorporate them if I find a suitable way to do so**

 **7-Eleventh: Cole will not be appearing. As far as the current canon in this story is concerned, she is a mid-twenties barista in Manhattan (Which is legit what she's doing right now in the comics). J'onn and Salamandra definitely married long after she was born.**

 **Thanks again for all the reviews! They're always so humbling and uplifting to read.**

 **And now, for the disclaimer:**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Keemia Marko and all related characters are property of Marvel and Disney. Young Justice, the Justice League, and all related characters are property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases!**

 **And now, let's get right into the story!**

* * *

 **Star City – July 17** **th** **, 23:16 PDT**

While not being as severe or dangerous as Gotham or Blüdhaven, Star City still had its own fair share of gang activity. Much like the other two cities, it had a booming harbour and was the source of a great deal of arms shipments being smuggled in for the various criminal cartels around the city. The most common of these shipments were weapons, and another large shipment of these illegal arms had just come in.

Several gang members had opened up a large shipping container and were now transporting crates from it into an armoured truck. The operation was being overseen by a large African-American man. He had white cornrows tied back into a ponytail, with a thick white goatee that was trimmed close to his face. The man himself was immense, easily seven feet tall, and built like a brick wall. He wore an expensive suit, coupled with a white scarf loosely draped over his shoulders.

Brick smiled in satisfaction as his underlings transported the illegal weapons before an arrow was suddenly shot next to two of his men who were in the middle of carrying one of the crates. It exploded almost immediately, knocking his men out and sending the crate flying. It landed just a few feet away, the lid cracking off and spilling several of the weapons across the ground.

Brick snarled angrily at the ambush, before grabbing one of the pistols that had fallen out of the crate and aiming it at the large steel beams of the crane above him, looking for the source of the arrows. He found it quickly, seeing Speedy looking out from the shadows of the beams.

"You again?!" Brick yelled. "I'm startin' to get insulted Green Arrow's not messin' up my operations personally!" the large man growled angrily as the pistol charged before firing several bolts of energy at the young archer.

Speedy nimbly dodged the first shot, his acrobatics allowing him to easily jump and flip across and between the beams before he landed on a walkway. Brick however, continued his barrage of shots, each one slowly coming closer to hitting the archer. Roy loaded an arrow, backflipping over another shot, as he fired his arrow at the gang leader.

The arrow embedded itself in the muzzle of the gun, causing the weapon to explode as it fired its next shot. Brick grunted in surprise at the sudden explosion, before taking note of himself. The explosion hadn't harmed him, thanks to his increased durability, but his clothes were now in tatters.

"Do you know what I pay for a suit in my size?!" Brick growled in frustration before turning back to his gang. Each of them was now holding one of the smuggled weapons dropped from the crate. "Scorch the earth boys" he ordered.

They nodded in understanding before preparing to attack. However, two were immediately taken out by a sudden yellow blur as Kid Flash sped past them. A batarang disarmed the next two as Robin cackled gleefully before he took cover. Aqualad followed up by using his water bearers to knocking the two into a truck with a massive tendril of water, rendering them unconscious.

The last tried to run before finding himself stopped by Keemia's outstretched hand. "Going somewhere?" She asked with a smirk. " **Ecaf teem dnuorg!** "

The gang member barely had any time to think before a sudden force sent him face first into the ground, the impact knocking him out.

Brick took notice of the newcomers before grasping the earth with both hands and pulling out a large boulder. He lifted it above his head before throwing it at Speedy. Much like the pistol's shots, the archer easily dodged the rock before firing an explosive arrow, which impacted Brick's shoulder before detonating harmlessly.

The criminal simply threw two more boulders at the young archer in response. Speedy dodged them both before Kaldur and Keemia took over. Kaldur used his water bearers to cut one in half, while Keemia spun her staff in front of her, making a massive circle of magic.

" **Nrut otni sevod!** "

The rock turned into a swarm of the white birds, which flew off away from the brawl. "Doves? A little cliché don't you think?" Kaldur asked.

"Hey, I wanted to try something new. It worked, didn't it?" Keemia retorted as Speedy fired a smoke arrow at the criminal, causing Brick to suddenly cough and sputter in the midst of the cloud.

Kaldur saw the archer approaching them before nodding. "The cave is perfect. It has everything the team will need"

"For covert missions, you know spy stuff" Robin added, landing behind them.

"All the team really needs now is an archer" Keemia said, now floating on her staff as Barry ran up to meet them.

"And wait 'til you see Superboy and Miss Martian. But I saw her first" Barry said with a grin as Keemia rolled her eyes.

Their brief meeting was soon interrupted however as Brick threw another massive boulder at the five of them. Robin, Kid Flash, Djinn, and Speedy all ducked out of the way, while Aqualad destroyed it with two massive maces.

Speedy followed up quickly with three explosive arrows. Each one struck Brick in the chest before exploding sequentially. The villain stumbled back with each one, before falling forward to the ground to catch his balance. He stood back up soon after however, a smirk etched on his face. "Heh, tell Arrow he shouldn't send boys to do a man's job"

"I'm a girl, that's rude!" Keemia snarked, floating back into view as Roy readied another arrow.

Brick regarded the archer with amusement, before opening his arms wide, welcoming the shot. "Go ahead" he smirked before Speedy fired the arrow.

It struck the villain before suddenly expanding into with a massive burst of foam. The villain looked on in surprise before the foam quickly enveloped him and hardened into a thick and heavy shell, trapping him. Barry looked at the now trapped villain with a grin.

"High-density polyurethane foam. Nice" the speedster complimented.

Speedy didn't seem to hear him though, as he simply turned to leave while the others gathered around. "So Speedy, you in?" Robin asked, from where he was leaning against another container, his arms folded and a confident smirk on his face.

The archer stopped moving for a moment, turning to look at Robin. "Pass. I'm done letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a babysitter, or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids. Your junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place" he said with a scowl before continuing to walk away, quickly disappearing into the shadows. "I don't want any part of it"

The others watched him leave, dejected at his response before Keemia frowned and folded her arms angrily. "What a dick"

* * *

 **Mount Justice – July 18** **th** **, 11:16 EDT**

After spending the rest of the night in Star City, the four friends had decided to return home for a brief rest before meeting back up at the cave. Keemia and Kaldur had already been there, conversing with Miss Martian and Superboy when the teleporter suddenly whirred to life, and a computerized voice announced the arrival of their teammates

" _Recognized: Robin B-01, Kid Flash B-03_ " it recited before Tim and Barry teleported into the cave. Much like their teammates, they were in their civilian wear. Conner had now added a brown leather jacket to his outfit, while Miss Martian was in a red skirt and cardigan, with a white blouse underneath, and long white stockings.

The two new arrivals ran over to where their teammates were currently standing, looking at something on the monitors. Barry in particular wore a wide grin as he made his way over. "Did you ask him? What did he say?"

"Nice to see you too Barry" Keemia said, rolling her eyes before Kaldur elbowed her gently in admonishment.

"He's arriving now" the Atlantean said with a smile as Barry's grin got even wider.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" he asked before running off with the others in tow to the front entrance of the cave. At the base of the mountain itself, a large trapdoor opened as the six walked outside into the warm sun and cool ocean breeze that waited for them outside.

"Perfect weather for flying I suppose?" Keemia asked with a smirk as Kaldur nodded, seeing Red Tornado coming to a landing in front of them. "The only wind is the robot in front of us"

"Red Tornado!" Barry greeted, waving eagerly.

" _Greetings_ " the android said in his usual mechanized voice. " _Is there a reason you intercept me outside the cave?_ "

"We hoped you had a mission for us" Kaldur said, the others nodding in agreement.

" _Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility_ " the android answered, the answer appearing obvious to his own computerized logic.

"But it's been over a week, and nothing-" Tim started before being cut off.

" _You'll be tested soon enough_ " Tornado said, cutting off Tim as he raised his hand in a placating gesture. " _For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company_ "

"This team is not a social club" Kaldur pointed out, his smile now gone as Keemia nodded and folded her arms.

"Besides, we've been spending the last few hours together at this point. And we'll be spending more time together in the future!"

" _True, but I am told social interaction is an important team building exercise_ " Red Tornado answered. " _Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarising yourself with the cave_ " he said before walking off and into the base.

Barry scowled before looking at Tim with narrowed eyes. "Keep busy?"

"Does he think we're falling for this?" Tim asked rhetorically before Miss Martian suddenly brightened.

"Oh, I'll find out!" she said before turning to the android.

"That's not what he meant…" Keemia muttered before Miss Martian tried to focus her telepathy on Red Tornado's retreating form.

" _Recognized: Red Tornado-16_ " the computerized voice recited as it scanned the Leaguer before allowing him into the base. At the ineffectiveness of her telepathy, Miss Martian sighed dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, I forgot he was a machine. Inorganic. I cannot read his mind" she admitted.

"Nice try though" Barry said before giving her a flirty smile "So uh, you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"We all know what you're thinking now" Robin scoffed before elbowing Barry in the ribs.

"And if you go thinking it again, I'll give you a brief refresher on our discussion about feet in mouths" Keemia added, giving a pointed glare to Barry.

Kaldur however, seemed a little more pensive. "And now we tour the clubhouse…" he said with a sigh.

Miss Martian took note of her team mate's dejected voice before nodding. "Well, Superboy and I live here. We can play tour guides" she offered. Tim and Barry cast curious glances at Superboy who simply shook his head once in response.

"Don't look at me" he said, his eyes wide in surprise

"We won't" Barry shrugged, before once again looking at Miss Martian. "A private tour sounds much more fun"

"She never said private!" Tim cut in, clearly frustrated at his team mate's attempts to flirt with the oblivious martian. Barry was about to say something, but before he could, he suddenly stumbled forward into the ground.

"Did you seriously just kick me?!" the speedster asked, looking at Keemia who was the clear offender in question.

"I told you I would. Be thankful the only danger with that one was coughing up my toenails" she threatened. "Your only other option would be swallowing your teeth"

Kaldur quickly got between the two of them to prevent any escalation. "Team building. We'll all go" he said before shooting Keemia a warning glance and helping Barry up. Keemia just rolled her eyes, but for a second she thought she saw Superboy flashing her a brief smirk.

Barry brushed the grass off of his shirt before he was suddenly elbowed again by Tim as the boy wonder walked past him. Miss Martian didn't appear to notice as she jovially started her tour.

"So this would be our front door…."

* * *

"And this would be the back!" she said as she lead the five out the other side of a mountain, onto a ledge that overlooked the ocean. "The cave is actually the entire mountain"

Barry nodded as the group walked back inside, into the vehicle garage, where currently there were no vehicles. "The cave was hollowed out and reinforced by Superman and Green Lantern in the early days of the League"

"Then why abandon it for the Hall of Justice?" Superboy asked curiously.

"The cave's secret location was compromised…" Kaldur said.

"So they traded it in for a tourist trap?" Superboy scoffed. "Yeah, that makes sense"

"I feel safer already" Keemia laughed.

"If villains know of the cave, we must be on constant alert" Miss Martian said worriedly before Tim grabbed her hand to ease her.

"The bad guys know we know they know about the place, so they'd never think to look here" he explained to the clearly confused martian.

"Uh, he means, we're hiding in plain sight" Barry clarified.

"Ah, that's much clearer" the martian girl nodded.

Barry was about to say something again before Superboy suddenly sniffed the air. "I smell smoke" the clone frowned before Miss Martian's eyes widened in horror.

"My cookies!" she gasped before taking off and flying quickly through the cave until she reached the kitchen. Once there, she used her telekinesis to open the oven and carefully take out the tray of cookies. Each one was now clearly burnt to a crisp, and they resembled hockey pucks far more than any actual dessert.

The others arrived to see the burned cookies, as Tim looked at the tray quizzically. "I was trying out Granny Jones' recipe from episode 17 of…. Uh… never mind" she said sheepishly.

"I bet they would have tasted great" Tim reassured her. "He doesn't seem to mind" he smirked as they turned to see Barry halfway through his second cookie, with another one in his hand ready to go.

"Oh, so his mouth does two things" Keemia noted with a smirk before Kaldur elbowed her gently.

"I have a serious metabolism" Barry said with a small chuckle before he swallowed the bite of cookie in his mouth to make room for more.

"I'll make more?" Miss Martian offered as Kaldur gave her a smile.

"It was sweet of you to make any" he said as the martian nodded to him graciously.

"Thanks Aqualad"

"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm" he said before pausing. "Actually, my friends call me Kaldur"

"And only I may call him Kal. You can call me Keemia though" Keemia said with a smile.

"I'm Barry" the eponymous speedster greeted, the flirtatious tone back in his voice. "See? I already trust you with my secret ID, unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden boy wonder from telling anyone his real name"

"Mine's no secret" Miss Martian said with a broad smile. "It's M'Gann M'Orzz, but you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name, and I'm on Earth now"

Superboy looked away with a small frown, his arms folded across his chest. He had yet to find a name for himself, and the introductions left him feeling a little more than uncomfortable. He silently got up off the counter he was leaning on before starting to walk out when Megan noticed him.

' _Don't worry Superboy_ ' she said telepathically, as the clone turned quickly to look at her. ' _We'll find you an Earth name too_ '

"Get out of my head!" he yelled suddenly as the others turned to look at Megan in surprise.

' _What's wrong? I don't understand?'_ she asked in confusion as she opened the telepathy to the others in the room. ' _Everyone on Mars communicated telepathically_ '

While everyone felt invaded by the sudden telepathy, Keemia grasped her head in unseen pain before stumbling forward. Kaldur was quick to catch her before she hurt herself. Apparently, the way the G-Gnomes attacked her in Project Kr was more harmful than they realized.

"M'Gann stop!" he ordered as the girl gasped and immediately ended the link. "Things are different on Earth. Here, your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy"

"Besides, CADMUS' creepy little psychic G-Gnomes left a bad taste in his brain" Barry said, gesturing a thumb over his shoulder to Superboy.

"I think you're forgetting about the severity of the psychic attack they made on Keemia" Kaldur pointed out as Barry suddenly looked apologetically to Keemia, who was still grasping her forehead as if she had a strong migraine.

"I… I didn't mean to-" Megan started before Superboy cut her off.

"Just stay out!" he snarled before storming off to sit on one of the couches in the adjacent sitting room.

Keemia groaned softly before slowly standing up straight again. She looked at Megan warily before sighing. "It's alright. After the telepathic attack I sustained, any telepathy hurts like hell to me. I'll need to get used to it all over again" she sighed before casting a worried look to Superboy.

Despite Keemia's attempt to reassure her, M'Gann still felt dejected at Superboy's response. If she'd known before that it was inappropriate, she would have never attempted it without asking. As she found herself lost in her thoughts, she suddenly remembered something, slapping her forehead with her open palm gently. "Hello, Megan!" she said before turning to the others. "I know what we can do!" she said eagerly before flying out of the kitchen and leading the others away towards the hangar.

Tim shrugged before he, Kaldur, and Barry followed after her. Keemia started after but hung back a bit to look at where Superboy was currently brooding. She frowned a little before leaning against the wall next to the door. "Y'know, as fun as it is to brood alone on the couch like some angst-ridden teenager, it might be more fun to brood with the rest of the angst-ridden teenagers" she suggested as Superboy turned to look at her, his frown at least having shrunk slightly.

"Besides, she didn't mean it. She's new to Earth and to us. If she knew about what happened I'm sure she'd have acted differently" she offered, Superboy seeming to scowl a bit. "Besides, I've seen the way she looks at you. Having you angry at her will just make her feel worse" she finished before walking off down the hall.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his anger having made way instead for confusion. Keemia was too far away to hear him though, so instead of continuing to stew alone in silence, he stood up before following behind her. What she said had given something to think about at least.

* * *

After Superboy opted to join the rest of them, they took a short elevator trip down to the hangar, where the door opened to reveal a large oval shaped object. It was a crimson red with black stripes along the side, and what appeared to be a windshield on the front end. "This is my Martian Bioship" M'Gann said with a grin before walking over to it.

Tim looked at it with fascination, cupping his chin thoughtfully while Keemia simply smirked. "Got your own ride? Pretty slick"

"Cute" Barry nodded. "Not aerodynamic, but cute"

"It's at rest silly" M'Gann giggled. "I'll wake it" she said before extending her hand to it and giving a brief telepathic command. Within seconds the large oval object responded by changing shape. Massive wings extended out from the side as the cockpit elongated, the entire ship's area increasing ten-fold. Once it was finished shifting, it levitated in the air, before turning around opposite them, revealing a gangplank that led inside.

M'Gann took a few steps towards the transformed ship before turning to look at her teammates. "Well? Are you coming?"

The others looked at it apprehensively at first before they all joined her inside the craft, as chairs suddenly appeared in front of them from the floor and a control panel lining the front of the craft. "Strap in for launch" M'Gann smiled as Tim and Barry eagerly claimed their seats.

Tim sat in his chair, his eyes widened as straps melted out of his seat to buckle him in. "Whoa" he said in surprise, slightly unnerved.

"Cool" Barry grinned in response to his own, while Keemia seemed to shiver in her own seat.

"Ugh, I think I saw a video like this once" she muttered. "It didn't end well for the girl involved"

Once everyone was seated, M'Gann sat in what was clearly the pilot's seat. "Red Tornado, please open the bay doors" she asked, placing her hands over two glowing white spheres that acted as flight controls before the ship took to the air and flew out of the mountain.

It flew low over the ocean before suddenly shooting into the sky, gaining altitude quickly. Within seconds, it had steadied its course and was now flying inland over the surround hills.

"Incredible!" Tim grinned, looking out the window.

Barry sighed, a love-struck look on his face as he gazed at M'Gann. "She sure is" he smiled, before M'Gann turned to look at him curiously, having heard what she said. "I-I mean the ship, which like all ships, is a she"

"Smooth Barry" Keemia snickered as Tim smirked.

"Fast with his feet, not so much with his mouth"

"Dude!" Barry said in embarrassment as Keemia laughed at his expense.

Kaldur watched his teammates in the back before leaning closer to Superboy, a concerned look on his face. "I may not have psychic powers, but I can guess what you're thinking. You overreacted and you don't know how to apologize. Just say sorry" he advised.

Superboy looked at him carefully, before stealing a quick glance back at M'Gann. "Keemia said something like that too" he sighed.

"I figured as much. She may be more crass and sarcastic in comparison to the rest of us, but she means well. And she does care for her friends" Kaldur nodded. "Even if she gets more frustrated at Barry than she really should"

"Doesn't he deserve it though?" Superboy asked.

Kaldur seemed to pause for a moment, blinking once before he answered. "Sometimes…"

M'Gann watched their conversation in the front from her own seat, a small frown tugging at her lips. Keemia took note of this, and nudged Tim, directing his attention to their Martian friend.

"He'll come around" Tim assured her.

"He doesn't seem to like me much" M'Gann whispered back.

"To be fair, he doesn't really like anybody" Keemia shrugged. "Or at the very least, he tries to act like he doesn't"

"Uh, you guys remember he has super-hearing, right?" Barry mused as the three of them suddenly looked a little more awkward at being overheard by the Kryptonian clone.

Tim was quick to break the awkward silence. "Hey, how about showing us a little martian shape-shifting?" he asked.

M'Gann nodded, putting the ship into autopilot before standing up and shape-shifting before their eyes into Robin. Albeit, a very female Robin. She then did a little twirl before turning into a similarly female version of Barry, in his Kid Flash garb.

"Is it wrong that I think I'm hot?" Barry asked, his gaze once again love-struck.

"Yes" Keemia scowled before M'Gann turned into Djinn. "Oh damn, is that what I look like in costume? I love it!" she grinned before M'Gann shifted back to normal.

"Impressive" Tim grinned, applauding his teammate. "But you're not exactly gonna fool anyone with those, for the most part"

"Mimicking boys is a lot harder" she admitted.

"And your clothes?" Kaldur asked curiously.

"They're organic, like the ship" she smiled. "They respond to my mental commands"

"As long as they're the only ones" Superboy muttered. Keemia rolled her eyes before cuffing him over the head. He turned around, a glare fixed on her, but quickly backed down once Keemia gave him her own patented glare, one she normally reserved only for Barry.

"Can you do that ghosting through walls thing that Manhunter does?" Barry asked eagerly.

"Density shifting?" she asked, frowning a little. "No… it's a very advanced technique"

Tim nodded before leaning forward with a grin. "Flash can vibrate his molecules right through a wall. Heh, when Barry tries it? Bloody nose"

"Dude!" Barry yelped again.

M'Gann smiled slightly at that before looking back at Tim. "Here's something I can do" she offered before the entire ship seemed to shimmer. Then, it slowly disappeared, completely hidden from the outside. "Camouflage mode!"

"Oh now that's cool! And perfect for our stealth team" Keemia grinned.

M'Gann seemed to beam under her praise, with the others agreeing. Even Superboy nodded before something suddenly caught his eye. He looked out the window of the ship, noticing a car on the highway below driving erratically. It was twisting and turning all over the road, with little care for the boundaries,

"What's up with them?" he asked, as M'Gann tilted the ship so everyone could look at the car.

"Those look a little too controlled to be a drunk driver" Keemia frowned.

"They almost look like evasive maneuvers, like they're trying to escape something" Kaldur frowned.

"Escape what though?" Barry asked, before a tornado could suddenly be seen pursuing the car. Unlike most tornadoes, which followed an indistinguishable path, guided by the wind, this cyclone followed after the car, against the prevailing air currents. What's more is that it appeared to be firing smaller cyclones of wind.

"Well, when you ask a silly question" Keemia said dryly as Tim stood up.

"We have to help them! M'Gann, take us down!" he ordered, as the Martian girl quickly nodded, bringing the ship in for a descent.

"Watch the tornado, it doesn't appear natural" Kaldur advised as Keemia rolled her eyes.

"What was your first clue?" she asked before getting out of her seat. " **Evig em ym ffats!** " she cast as her staff was once again conjured into her hand.

Tim did as Kaldur asked, pulling out some binoculars before frowning. "There's someone in the cyclone, controlling it!"

"Do you have an ID?" Barry asked as he prepared his goggles. "The only villain I know of who can do this is Weather Wizard and he's still in Belle Revve"

"It's too bulky for Weather Wizard. Looks like he's wearing an exo-suit" Tim frowned, continuing the analysis.

"Well, in any case, we have an unknown entity threatening the well-being of the general public. Superboy, how do you feel about the hands-on approach?" Keemia asked as Superboy gave a smirk.

"Just point me in the right direction" he said, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh I can do better than that. M'Gann, open the hatch!" she asked as M'Gann nodded, before opening the hatch as the ship came to rest on the ground. Keemia and Superboy rushed out, before Keemia nodded to him. "Get ready to fly Supey: **Hcnual yobrepus otni eht yretsym nam!** "

Superboy gave a loud battle cry as he was launched through the air by Keemia's magic, reaching break-neck speeds as he approached the figure with his fist cocked back and ready to strike. The force of the magic allowed him to bypass the force of the wind as he flew inside before striking the figure inside as hard as he could, both falling down in a heap towards the ground.

"Bullseye!" Keemia laughed as her other teammates met her on the ground. "Looks like the wind's dying down too" she pointed out. She was correct, as Superboy's distraction was ample enough that it prevented the figure from keeping the tornado alive. However, the mystery figure was quick to stand up as he used another strong wind to toss Superboy back at the teens.

" **Ekam a wollip ot hctac yobrepus!** " Keemia cast quickly as a large cushion prevented Superboy from impacting the ground too painfully.

"Oh, thanks" the clone grinned before standing up again, as the mystery figure took to the air before approaching the young heroes.

" _I must admit, while I expected to be confronted by opposition, I was not expecting to be assaulted by… children. However, the thought of killing mere children is rather disturbing…_ " the figure taunted, with his voice very clearly mechanized. He was large, easily nine feet tall, and his large body was made of metal. He had massive forearms, each equipped with large blue hoses that funnelled and focused artificially generated winds, which the figure now used to fly. These tubes ran to two large pressurized tanks of air on the figure's back. He was red and black in colour, with a ragged brown scarf wrapped around his neck, partially obscuring its face.

"Sorry you're so disturbed. Maybe you'll be a bit more _turbed_ after we kick your can!" Tim yelled

"Besides, we didn't expect Red Tornado's younger brother to be hassling the general public. Guess we were both wrong" Barry snarked back, his goggles firmly fastened on his face.

" _I assure you, I am far superior to that… archaic android imposter_ " the hulking figure sneered. " _However, if you know where he is currently located, I would not be opposed to meeting him_ "

"Like that's gonna happen" Tim said before throwing two of his explosive discs at the robot. They were easily deflected by a minor wind, but Superboy and Kaldur were quick to follow, both poised to strike. The robot summoned a small tornado to send them back down to earth, with Kaldur colliding with M'Gann on his way back to earth.

" **Niartser mih!** " Keemia chanted, spinning her staff as large tendrils of dirt erupted from the earth before pulling the robot to ground level. "You got a name there tough guy? Or should we just call you this week's unlucky loser?"

The robot seemed unfazed as he suddenly summoned a massive tornado to free himself from his earth prison. " _I do not wish for you insignificant annoyances to pester me any longer. However, you may call me Mister Twister_ " he boasted, before raising his right fist. A massive gale of wind erupted from his hand, drawing in the surrounding clouds as a massive thunderstorm suddenly brewed above him.

"Well, that's new" Barry muttered before rushing forwards as Kaldur, Superboy, and M'Gann were all swift to follow him. Mister Twister was ready however, as he suddenly fired numerous bolts of lightning from the cloud. Several of them struck the ground in front of him, forcing Barry to a screeching halt as his momentum caused him to skid across the open highway in front of him. The rest of the bolts struck Superboy and Kaldur, sending them crashing back down.

Keemia tried to shield herself from another one of the bolts, however, the force behind it sent her flying into M'Gann as they both crashed in front of Tim.

" _Farewell children. I hope you have learned a lesson or two about challenging your superiors_ " Twister taunted before starting to fly away. " _As for me, I have a van to pursue_ "

"Crap, that hurt" Keemia grimaced as she stood, helping M'Gann up. "Hey M'Gann, see if you can read his mind, let us know why exactly he's after that van"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to read minds?" the Martian girl asked timidly.

"It's okay when it's the bad guys!" Tim urged before she nodded quickly and focused her telepathy on Mister Twister's retreating form. She put all of the power that she could behind it, but quickly shook her head with a frown.

"I can't read his mind, it's like there's nothing there" she frowned.

"Oh, so it's Barry in the suit" Keemia smirked before receiving an elbow to the ribs courtesy of Kaldur.

"Guess that means we'll just have to beat the info out of him" Tim mused before drawing his utility belt and fastening it around his body like a makeshift bandolier.

"Seriously, you brought your utility belt?" Barry asked, his eyebrow raised almost disapprovingly.

"Never leave home without it. First thing Batman taught me"

"Yeah, right after 'never go to the bathroom without it'" Barry snarked before the team quickly took off in pursuit of the android menace.

"We need a plan here if we're gonna take this guy down!" Keemia urged.

Kaldur nodded before watching Twister continue to pursue the van, which had since managed to gain a fair bit of distance. "Tim, M'Gann. Take the Bioship and follow that van! See if you can find out whose inside and why Twister would want them. The rest of us will try and stall him"

Tim and M'Gann nodded before running back to the Bioship, while the others continued their charge after the escaping android.

"Looks like he's headed right into Happy Harbor!" Barry said, before Kaldur gave a grim nod.

"Then let's give him a proper welcome"

* * *

Tim and M'Gann quickly got back in the Bioship before taking off after the van quickly. Luckily, with their distraction for Mister Twister, the van was able to get well into Happy Harbor as the ship followed in camouflage mode.

"Any reading on the van's trajectory?" M'Gann asked as Tim watched the monitors.

He frowned a little as he studied the van's travelled paths. "Well without the need for any evasive action against Twisty, it looks like the van's headed for… Mount Justice?!"

"Mount Justice?" M'Gann repeated in surprise. "But what would they want there?"

"That's what we gotta find out" Tim grimaced. "Time to stop that van"

M'Gann nodded, bringing the ship out ahead before lifting the cloak and suddenly landing on the rod several meters ahead. The van skidded back and forth before screeching to a stop on its brakes. With the van stopped temporarily, Tim and M'Gann left the ship before running over.

"Hey, it's alright! We're friends! We just want to help you" Tim said, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

"Well now that I know it's you, I should hope you would" an all too familiar voice called as the door to the van opened, revealing a large African-American woman. "Tim Drake, alias Robin. M'Gann M'Orzz, alias Miss Martian"

"Waller" Tim said in shock before scowling. "I should have known it would be someone like you"

"Wait, who is she? And why does she know our names?" M'Gann asked worriedly.

"Allow me to explain" Waller offered. "My name is Amanda Waller, former head of CADMUS. Currently I am head of ARGUS, as well as being a secondary liaison between the Justice League and the United States' government. Your secrets must be known by me to ensure that. And I have some sensitive information that must be delivered to the Batman. Immediately"

"Information about the CADMUS resurgence?" Tim asked.

"Indeed. As such, I am apparently a person of interest for this Mister Twister… as well as whoever it is that is leading them" Waller nodded. "But that's not all. I am also taking someone else with me… a person of interest for the Batman as it were" she revealed before the back door of the van opened, and a younger figure stepped out. M'Gann was confused by the new arrival, but Tim's eyes widened from behind his glasses as he recognized her.

"Well, I'm officially whelmed"

* * *

With his quarry long since gone, Twister was now left rather frustrated by his current failure. Unfortunately for the town of Happy Harbor, that meant he would be taking out his frustrations on the small populous as he sent numerous tornadoes through the streets near the seaside, ravaging the buildings and completely destroying several blocks.

He used yet another cyclone to pick up several boats from the harbour before throwing them around into buildings as the citizens all fled before him. " _I may have temporarily failed my primary objective, but I can still complete my next one. Certainly this will get the required attention!_ " the android declared.

"You got ours, full and undivided!" Barry called, rushing towards him at top speed before leaping and delivering a solid kick to the robot's torso. Twister stumbled back slightly as Barry landed on the ground in a crouch.

" _Immaterial and insufficient! You are a distraction I can no longer tolerate!_ " Twister said dismissively, raising his hands for another attack.

He would be stopped in his tracks as Superboy gave an enraged cry, diving down from the sky to strike the android. Twister only just avoided his attack, flying backwards as Superboy got into another ready stance. Twister fired two cyclones before launching them at the heroes, sending both Superboy and Barry flying back several meters.

"My turn now: **Htrae tsif!** " Keemia said before a massive fist made of Earth rose from the ground, following her actions as she used it to pummel the android over and over again. Mister Twister recovered quickly before firing a massive burst of lightning through the hand, forcing her to go on the defensive to block it.

" _Come now! There must be a real hero around here somewhere!_ " Twister sighed, using another wind to knock her back into Barry, who was just standing from the previous attack as they both fell to the ground again.

Superboy tried another attack, before Twister lifted another boat, slamming it into the clone. Kaldur attempted to use his temporary distraction to attack again, but Twister was faster, throwing the Atlantean into the nearby town hall as another smaller twister chased after Barry.

" **Noisolpxe!** " Keemia called, twirling her staff as a small explosion detonated a Twister near the android, disorienting him long enough for Superboy to strike him with a wicked punch. Twister flicked his wrist however, and sent the clone flying through the sky with another column of wind, before retrieving yet another boat from the ocean and throwing it after the clone.

Kaldur crawled out of the wreckage of the town hall before Superboy landed in a crumpled heap next to him. The boat followed soon after, destroying the rest of the building and bringing it down to the ground. Kaldur was lucky enough to avoid the collapse before grabbing the motor from the newly destroyed boat and throwing it at Mister Twister.

Barry took cover behind another discarded boat before Keemia regrouped with him. "So, this could be going a lot better, couldn't it?" he asked sheepishly.

"You're telling me. At this point, I'm more worried about the trouble we'll be in for this property damage" she said with a grimace before the two friends shuddered at the thought. "We need a plan!"

Their request was soon answered as M'Gann's voice could be heard entering their minds telepathically. ' _Listen to me! All of you!_ ' she urged.

They all flinched at the sudden intrusion, but only in surprise. Keemia, in particular, seemed to recover more easily than the last time. Superboy, looked rather frustrated however. "What did we tell you?" he asked, enraged.

' _I know! But I'm too far away to walk to you face to face, and this is important!_ ' she urged before Robin continued, using their group telepathic link.

' _We know who's in the van, and we can't allow them to be captured by Twister! They have League sensitive information with them!_ ' the boy wonder explained.

' _Okay, so we know why Twister wants them. But do you have a plan?_ ' Keemia asked, recovering from the telepathy, and now focused on the mission again.

' _Yes, but you're gonna have to listen to M'Gann_ ' Tim continued, the Martian nodding to him gratefully.

Kaldur looked to the others, before they all nodded in agreement. ' _Alright, what do you have for us?_ '

* * *

"Get back! Everyone clear the area!" an officer ordered, moving the last of the evacuees before he too fled an oncoming tornado. Mister Twister was swiftly losing patience, preparing to attack the four teens again, before Tim suddenly rejoined them.

"So what did I miss?" he asked as Barry shrugged.

"Eh, the usual"

"About three million dollars in insurance premiums" Keemia said bluntly before the air suddenly rushed overhead, as Red Tornado came in for a landing behind them.

" _Hit the showers children. I was hoping you could handle this, clearly you cannot_ " the Leaguer chastised them.

"But we've got a plan now!" Tim complained.

" _The subject is not up for debate_ " the android countered. The teens looked at him dejectedly before they reluctantly retreated. Twister seemed pleased by this as he nodded to Red Tornado almost appreciatively.

" _I was beginning to believe you'd never show up!_ " Twister mocked.

" _I'm here now!_ " Tornado declared before whipping up a cyclone and throwing it at Twister, who easily countered it with his own. Tornado easily dispelled Twister's own attempts to attack him with little effort. " _We are evenly matched Twister!_ "

Red Tornado then formed one massive tornado before thrusting it forward, intent on tossing away the other android.

" _No Tornado, we are not_ " Twister admonished, before punching the ground with incredible force. A large column of wind erupted from the ground, almost like a geyser, easily reflecting Tornado's attack. He then went on the offensive, firing numerous bolts of lightning at the hero. Tornado tried to dodge but one of the bolts struck a nearby boat, resulting in an explosion that knocked the android prone on the ground.

Twister was quick to capitalize on this as he rushed forward, standing over the fallen hero menacingly. " _Remain still android_ " he urged, before raising his right hands. Several cables soon extended from the fingers before they went down and attached themselves to the fallen hero. " _The reprogramming won't take long_ "

Red Tornado suddenly grasped the wires before his face shifted and contorted, revealing a smirking M'Gann. "Longer than you might think!"

" _No…_ " Twister said in surprise before M'Gann pulled the cables out and threw Twister away with her telekinesis, causing him to fly into a tornado that Barry had made by spinning rapidly. The android was thrown back where Superboy caught him by the arm, delivering several vicious blows that easily went through his metal torso.

Superboy delivered a massive uppercut, sending the sparking android sliding into the ocean, where Kaldur was waiting. He struck the android with a discarded anchor before flooding him with several thousand volts of electricity, which sent him flying out of the water again and into the air, the force of the explosion severing his right arm.

He was only just landing on the ground before M'Gann lifted him again with her telekinesis, severing the other arm before dropping him on the round brutally. He slowly rose on his damaged legs before Keemia raised her hand with a smirk. " **Ekam mih elibommi!** " she cast, leaving the android unable to move.

With no other options, and surrounded by the regrouped heroes, the chest compartment of the android opened, before dropping a severely beaten and fatigued man on the ground. He was thin, very thin, with greying hair as he weakly pulled himself up to look at the kids fearfully.

"Foul… I call foul!" he stammered before M'Gann stepped forward, pulling a large chunk of rock from the ground with her telekinesis.

Kaldur saw what she was doing and looked at her in horror. "M'Gann no!"

But he was too late as she dropped the large rock on the man, crushing him entirely. The others looked on in surprise as Keemia's face turned a little green. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick" she murmured before Tim glared at M'Gann.

"Don't know how things are done on Mars, but on Earth we don't execute our captives!" he admonished her angrily, while she simply held a triumphant smirk.

"You said you trust me" she said before lifting the rock again, leaving a thoroughly crushed…. Robot?

"That's why I couldn't read his mind" she said as the Keemia sighed in relief.

"That makes me feel better" she admitted while Barry crouched next to the sparking remains to retrieve one of the destroyed android's eyeballs.

"Cool, souvenir" he grinned before pocketing it.

Kaldur nodded, placing a hand on M'Gann's shoulder. "We should have had more faith in you"

M'Gann smiled at him gratefully before Barry chimed in. "Yeah, you rocked this mission! Get it? _Rocked?_ Heh" he joked before Keemia elbowed his ribs at the bad joke.

"Ignore him. We're all just turbed you're on the team" Tim grinned.

"Heh, thanks. Me too" M'Gann nodded

* * *

Unbeknownst to all of the heroes, the remaining eye on the android was still active, and it watched the six carefully, sending a signal elsewhere.

"Now Brom, aren't you relieved I didn't let you wear the armour?" a voice asked jovially as he and his assistant watched the camera feed that the now destroyed android had sent them. His assistant looked exactly like the duplicate robot inside the armour, nodding quickly before he turned to look at the other man.

"Extremely professor, but you're not upset?" Brom asked nervously. Professor T.O. Morrow simply chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm convinced our tracking program was operational. And that the real Tornado was somewhere in the vicinity. Not only that, but our targets in the van were discovered and recovered almost immediately, which will be sure to please our allies in spite of our failure to capture them" he assured him. "Besides, you know science advances in fits and starts. Even failure can be instructive, and I'd say we learned quite a lot today"

* * *

Back inside Mount Justice, the team was quick to call Batman to report what had happened today. The detective arrived with Shocker in tow, and met with both the team and Red Tornado, finding the remains of the android on the table. Shocker immediately set to work, using his own skills with technology to study the pieces.

"It was clearly created to sabotage or destroy Tornado" Kaldur said as Shocker seemed to shake his head in disagreement.

"Not quite. A lot of the components here were made for reprogramming" he mused. "I'd need to call the Atom and have him double-check, but I think this android here wanted to capture our friend Tornado"

" _That is… a most alarming thing to note_ " he said with a frown, looking at the thoroughly destroyed remains. " _One wonders who would wish to do such a thing, and why_ "

"You kids did the right thing, stopping that rogue android" Batman nodded. "Despite the destruction today, there were few injuries and no fatalities to report. Wayne Enterprises will be covering the repair costs themselves" he assured them.

"That's good to hear. But there is something else you should know" Keemia said.

"And what would that be?" Batman asked curiously.

"Twister had another target. We initially found him pursuing a van. A van that was on its way to Mount Justice" Tim said as Batman's eyes narrowed.

"And do we know why this van was driving to Mount Justice?"

"Because I needed to speak to you" Amanda Waller said, entering the room. Batman immediately fixed her with his patented bat-glare, but as always she was unmoved by it.

"Waller. You have some explaining to do" Batman said seriously.

"And I'll do it" she nodded before handing Batman a file. "This holds all of the information I could scrape up about the newly remade CADMUS. I assure you I had no part in it. Eiling is still in prison for attacking your teammates almost a year ago, Hamilton is still in retirement, and Tala was KIA before Darkseid's invasion according to our intel. This means that someone else had to have started it"

Batman frowned as he looked through the files. "And this is all you have?"

"The information on this new group is scarce. Whoever started this one, is good at covering their tracks. And reusing old data" she grimaced. "However, there should at least be something there for you to look over" she shrugged.

Batman gave her another nod as Shocker left through the teleporter to return to the Watchtower, while Red Tornado simply left for elsewhere within the mountain. "Anything else?"

"Yes. I heard of this team you're putting together, and saw them in action today. They're a little… rough around the edges, but I think they'll do good work" she said, folding her arms as she looked to them all. "And I believe I have someone who would fit right in on this team"

Any and all neutrality left his face as he glared harshly at her. "You don't mean-"

"Oh, but I do" she nodded before looking behind her. "You can come in now" Waller called before another figure entered the room, the same girl who Tim and M'Gann saw exit the van earlier. She was sixteen years old, and appeared to be on the thinner side. Her hair was black and hung down to her shoulders, framing her face gently, with a small barrette keeping it out of her eyes. A small barrette shaped like the clubs suit from a deck of cards.

She wore a black and white costume, two-toned, and divided vertically down her body. It was sleeveless, and left her legs bare, aside from the boots she wore that reached her mid thighs. On her wrists and extended half-way up her forearms were what appeared to be bracelets, matching the colours of her uniform. Her right half was black, and the left half white. A small black insignia of the clubs suit was over her heart.

She looked at Batman sheepishly, nodding nervously as she blushed under his gaze. "H-hello Mr. Batman"

"Ace…" he whispered before turning to Waller with barely concealed anger. "Explain yourself. NOW!"

"After the incident all those years ago, you had thought she passed away. The aneurysm having killed her. It was to my own surprise that it miraculously only left her comatose" Waller revealed. "I took her body away and left her in stasis. I couldn't allow her to die"

"Didn't want to waste an asset?" the dark knight asked accusingly.

"I didn't want a child to pass away because of my own arrogant actions!" she admonished him before continuing. "Unfortunately, none of the technology I had on hand was sufficient enough to save her. But I didn't want to just give up hope. However, it was then I realized that nothing in our world could save her…"

"But something from Flint's might be able to" Batman surmised as Keemia's eyes winded in shock.

"You went to my homeworld?" she asked in surprise as her teammates looked at her in shock.

"Indeed. However, when I arrived, it wasn't a technology that I had found" she said. "After speaking to a Doctor Reed Richards, I was instead directed to a young man by the name of Joshua Foley, or as the X-Men would know him as, Elixir"

"Elixir healed you?" Keemia asked Ace, who nodded shyly.

"He did a remarkable job. Not only was she healed from the ill-effects of the aneurysm, but she was now in perfect health entirely" Waller said with a smile. "With Ace now healed, I opted to take her in myself. I don't really have a family to speak of, so it was just her and I for the last few years. I spent that time helping her to train her powers, and she has grown in her control exponentially. However, she was denied a proper childhood. So, I brought her to you, hoping that your team could help her to achieve this"

Batman seemed to think about this for a moment, before looking at Ace's expression again. The girl seemed hopeful that he would agree. After almost a minute, he nodded. "Alright, but she won't be on the team just yet. I want to see her training for myself before she enters the field"

"Agreed" Amanda nodded before her gaze softened. "Thank you for this Bruce. It means a lot to her"

Batman was silent before nodding again. "It's no trouble. I think she'll fit in well"

Amanda turned to Ace before gesturing to the others. "Go ahead, introduce yourself" Amanda offered as Ace stepped forward to the team shyly.

Barry blinked a few times before looking to Keemia. "You're from another dimension?!"

"Not the time Barry" she hissed before looking at Ace. "Hi, I'm Keemia Marko, but my hero alias is Djinn" she greeted.

"Nice to meet you Keemia. My name is Ashley Walch, but I guess you know me as Ace" she said shyly, shaking her hand.

'She's kinda cute' Keemia thought to herself before Ace blushed and looked away suddenly.

"Something wrong?" Kaldur asked.

"N-no. My powers include telepathy. I sometimes accidentally hear what people are thinking" she admitted as Keemia took her own turn to blush darkly.

"What other powers do you have?" M'Gann asked excitedly.

"Telekinesis, and illusion casting. I can also warp reality a little" she shrugged. "But it takes a lot of energy"

"Well, allow me to be the first to say, welcome to the team" Kaldur said amicably.

"Thank you" Ace nodded gratefully.

"Well Ashley, why don't we make the rest of our introduction during a little tour of the cave?" Keemia offered.

"I'd like that" Ace said shyly before Keemia lead her and Kaldur through the halls of the base.

"Speedy was so wrong" Barry grinned as he and Tim followed behind.

"This team thing?" Tim grinned.

"Might just work out" Kaldur finished.

Superboy went to follow after them at first, before turning back to look at M'Gann. He seemed pensive at first, trying to come up with what to say, but nothing seeming quite right. Finally, he cleared his throat before looking at M'Gann, giving her a small nod. "Sorry" he said, almost in a whisper, before walking off.

M'Gann looked at him in surprise for a moment before her gaze softened, and a smile slowly broke out across her lips.

* * *

 **And boom! Another chapter done!  
**

 **First of all, a big congratulations to CRUDEN, rmarcano321, xbox432, MajorBrony95, Dion ComicWiz, and 7-Eleventh for guessing correctly that Ace has joined the team! Well, technically she hasn't joined yet. But she will. And just in time for monkeys!**

 **I will admit, that Ace's farewell episode and death in the original Justice League Unlimited was incredibly tragic and is probably one of the best episodes of the entire series. But as soon as I started my planning for this sequel, I had an idea for her spring up and I just couldn't let it go. I have to see it through, so now you know how she survived. And on top of that, Waller has access to the Marvel Universe (Oddly enough, this won't be leading to anything in the future).**

 **While you may have guessed this character correctly, there are still two more who are going to join the team. Yes, this version of the team will have ten members! One is a canon character, the other is an OC of my own design; a child of two of the characters from the previous story, Sandman Unlimited.**

 **I will put forward a challenge now to guess them correctly. Guess the canon character, then guess who the OC will be the child of. I'm curious to see if any one gets it right.**

 **And Amanda Waller now has a more closely tied relationship to the League. That should be fun to explore in the future.**

 **Mister Twister being after her is also a good way to tie up lose ends regarding CADMUS being made without her knowledge. Someone wants to keep the Wall quiet. But nothing on Earth can scare the wall. NOTHING!**

 **But for now, the team is a solid six group. Ready for anything!  
**

 **But will they be ready for, the Drop-Zone?**

 **As always be sure to read and review! I love them all, and I can't wait to see your guesses!  
**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	4. Drop-Zone

**Hello everybody!**

 **And welcome back to another chapter Alchemic Justice!**

 **First, let me say that I'm happy to see all of the guesses put forwards by you guys for the canon and OC characters to join the team. I've seen some great comments, and some really inventive ideas, especially for the canon characters. I won't be commenting on any in particular so as to avoid spoilers and premature confirmations, so the speculation can continue. But I imagine that soon it will become easier to tell who the answers are.**

 **On another note, Sandman Unlimited is getting close to reaching 100000 views! I never imagined that it would get to that point, but I am so glad it did. Looking back, there are some things I would change, and chapters I would update, but I feel that where it is now is good. It's where it should be, and so I'll just be happy to see you all continue to enjoy my little fic. The one that started it all...**

 **But anyways, let's get on to the reviews (While still avoiding the spoilers):**

 **rmarcano321 - I had to keep them intact. They're far too pure for this world.**

 **MajorBrony95 - Glad you liked it. It was fun to write.**

 **xbox432 - Heh, Keemia's internet history is not some place you'd want to explore. It gets... sketchy. And yes, that was a reference to Megumin. You're getting really good at catching these obscure references I add. I'm glad that the comedy still goes over well, and I'm glad to see you receiving Ace so positively. She'll be fun to develop in the future for sure. As for your point about my editing issues, I will admit that I was rather... lax with them. While I won't be going back and editing the previous chapters, any future installments of this story, as well as my other stories I make, shall have more diligence in watching for them. But I'm happy you enjoyed it nonetheless.**

 **Ronmr - I like adding these surprises. They keep it interesting.**

 **7-Eleventh - The child of King Shark and Killer Frost was born before the events of this story. Frost was at the end of her first trimester in the finale of Sandman Unlimited, so their kid was born six months into the year dividing the previous story from this one. Hopefully that explanation alleviates any confusion as far as that is concerned. As for the X-Men... they likely won't show up at all, at least in a teaching capacity for the team. It's just not integral to what I'm working with. However that Thor idea does have some merit, and I would have fun playing with it. Keemia will have a relationship in the story, however I'm not giving any spoilers yet. I already have it planned. Though I'm not sure why the assumption she and Ace will get together is at all concerning...**

 **Dion ComicWiz - I'm glad you enjoyed the departure from canon, because there will be more in the future. Hopefully it continues to hold up well. I'm always worried about it not being as good as the original material. Waller being the surprise target just helped so much from a literary stand point in tying up loose ends, and it helped build the conspiracy, as well as introducing Ace. That's three birds with one stone! Hopefully Ace's inclusion continues to please. I always adored her character and wanted to see more done with her. As I mentioned earlier, I will be trying harder to catch my grammar mistakes, but I'm glad that they weren't too overbearing that the story was in any way harmed. I also like hearing that my writing has improved. It really means a lot to hear that. I haven't given much thought into the ultimate fates of Tornado's siblings yet, but I imagine I could work in something regarding their past history with the JSA. The Wonder Twins... will not be appearing. Only because Shifter and Downpour exist (Albeit in the marvel universe as Avengers trainees, but still). Tomorrow Woman could be fun though. Not sure If I'll use her but it has potential. And finally, Nina Dowd... I did not expect you to suggest her at all, but my god is that hilarious. So hilarious, I'm gonna have to use her. It's too good to pass up on. I have to bring Mighty Endowed to the Alchemic Justice universe! I will also be checking out more Wildstorm in the future. It should give me some fun stuff. Thanks again for the comment my friend, no need to worry about its length at all. I hope my story continues to please.**

 **Dez Guardius - I honestly forgot beast Boy was mentioned in the Timm-verse before. And that certainly brings up an issue. I do have an excuse prepared for it (Albeit it is a very convoluted one involving the Doom Patrol and mind wiping), but I've decided to forego that to instead follow The Incredible Muffin's lead. I am ignoring it entirely. It's a small part of the canon anyway, and it can be easily over looked as unimportant. But thank you for pointing that out.**

 **Lucian Naruto - A meeting between Vision and Red Tornado would be fascinating. The true human android meeting an android who desperately wants to be human. It would be such an interesting conversation to behold honestly. Not sure if I'll do it, but it has a lot of merit for sure.**

 **Thanks again for the reviews everyone! I love receiving them and I was honestly overwhelmed by how many my last chapter got. Keep them coming, it means so much to me just to get them.**

 **One final note; when you see this "{}", it means the dialogue is translated from another language. In this case, Spanish. I hope that alleviates confusion.**

 **And with all that done, time for the disclaimer:**

 **I own nothing but the original idea of this fic. Keemia Marko and all related characters are property of Marvel comics and Disney. Young Justice, the Justice League, and all related characters are property of DC and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **And away we go!**

* * *

 **Santa Prisca – June 19** **th** **, 00:43 ECT**

Once a lowly and run-down Spanish colony, the island of Santa Prisca saw a resurgence in use during the late years of the 19th century. During that time, the failed plantation island was turned into a prison, where several high-risk criminals from all over Central and South America were sent to serve time behind bars. This prison soon gained a reputation as being a veritable hell on earth, thanks to the cruel guards and even crueller quality of living for the interned prisoners.

However, one day that all ended. A young man was sentenced to serve time in the stead of his father, a violent drug lord who had escaped conviction on the mainland. This boy grew up in the prison, however, instead of torturing him as it was used to doing to others, the prison itself only hardened his resolve. Once the boy had grown he easily overtook the prison and returned it to the local drug lords, on the condition that he rule the island himself.

The drug runners helped the man to create a powerful neobolic steroid, and the man happily used it himself, increasing his own strength and fighting prowess with it. Soon enough, he had left the island to conquer the world, becoming Bane; the man who broke the Bat.

His reign of terror had only just begun, and he was already one of the most feared criminals in the world. Renowned for his strength, brutality, and keen-intellect, he was a force to be reckoned with, easily earning himself a place among the most feared of Gotham. Soon enough he returned to his humble island home, refusing an invitation from Grodd to join his so-called "Secret Society", to instead continue production of his precious Venom. Its sales had become quite lucrative to him, and he only refined the formula further to tighten his grip over the island.

However, even the mighty Bane was unprepared for a sudden and crippling attack by the elitist and neo-religious Cult of the Kobra. The fanatics quickly swept the island, proving themselves to be well-armed far beyond the Spanish revolutionaries and criminals that had owned it for nearly fifteen years before the Cult's sudden invasion.

Instead, Bane found himself faced with a new feeling, one he was angered to have; defeat. He and his empire had been crumbled by a few dozen fanatics within an hour. It was crushing to see his hard-earned work laid before him so haphazardly.

Bane and the last of his surviving lieutenants soon found themselves surrounded within the very factory they sought to protect above all else, with several of the Kobra cultists surrounding them. Each member of the Cult of the Kobra was adorned in the same red robes and black mask, with some of them having the sigil of the cult tattooed on their bodies. The cultists were armed to the teeth with high powered rifles, as they cornered the survivors next to the last vestige of the old prison this factory once was; a small arena walled an all sides with a walkway for observation. The old guards had often used it for sick competitions where they pit the prisoners in death matches for money.

One of the cultists would soon approach the survivors, Bane eying him suspiciously. "{ _Our sublime master proclaims he will depart this facility if one of you defeats his champion in single combat._ }" the cultist said.

Bane's eyes narrowed as he pushed past his lieutenants. He wanted his factory and his island back at all costs, and he was easily the most combat accomplished man among his people. He approached the door to the arena, not wanting to waste any time before a buzzer sounded and the door slowly slid open.

"{ _Just make it interesting._ }" the villain demanded before entering the arena, the door closing behind him while the cultist simply smirked triumphantly.

Across the arena a door opposite to Bane opened, revealing what appeared to be a set of twins. A thin young man stepped inside, his arms gangly and long, and his whole body almost uncomfortably frail. Despite this, he ran his hands through his fire-red hair, a smirk on his face, while Bane scowled. Was this supposed to be their champion?

A metallic click could be heard hitting the ground behind him as Bane turned to see his Venom injector, returned to him. It was confiscated from his during the initial invasion by the cultists, who obviously feared what he could do in a powered up state. "{ _You give me back my greatest weapon?_ }" He asked, almost intrigued as he picked it up. "{ _What's the catch?_ }"

"{ _No catch,_ }" the cultist replied, clearly amused. "{ _It would hardly test his champion's prowess if you were not at your best._ }" He reasoned.

Bane almost snorted at that. His champion was a frail young boy, what danger could he pose? Yet, he knew better than to underestimate his opponents. There was clearly something that the cultist wasn't telling him. He fastened the injector back to his body, pressing the tube into the back of his mask. "{ _You want my best?_ }" He asked before the Venom flooded his system. Almost instantly his muscles bulged and grew, as his height increased and adrenaline was pumped into his bloodstream at an incredible rate. When it was done, he was now close to seven feet tall, panting slightly from the strain it put on his body. "{ _You got it._ }"

He cracked his neck in anticipation as Kobra's champion flashed him a confident smirk. A thin teenaged girl suddenly stepped in behind him. She was the boy's twin sister, sharing his same fire-red hair and slim figure. However, half of her head was shaved with the symbol of the Cult of the Kobra tattooed there instead of her hair. She injected her brother with some sort of purple chemical before stepping out again and closing the door behind her.

The boy fell over almost immediately as his muscles rippled and grew. They increased his mass ten-fold, a sudden explosion of skin and muscle forced his left arm to dislocate before relocating painfully as the rest of his body swelled with new bulk. His teeth grew into dangerous fangs as parts of his skin tore away all over his body to expose the muscle underneath. He gave an animalistic roar before standing up, now close to eight feet tall. He panted before rushing forwards towards Bane.

Despite his bulk, this new monster was incredibly fast, advancing on Bane quickly. The veteran drug runner blocked the first blow, but only barely. This monster's strength was unbelievable. Not to be outmatched, Bane quickly went on the offensive with a vicious uppercut before following with a powerful haymaker to the monster's solar plexus.

However, his blows didn't even seem to effect this mammoth of a man, as the monster grasped the back on Bane's head before delivering his own powerful flurry of blows. Several punches struck the former ruler of the island, before the monster grasped his left arm and threw him across the arena where Bane collided roughly with some of the numerous pipes that ran along the wall. The force of the blow caused the pipes to bend under the stress before his opponent rushed forwards again and slammed Bane into the pipes with his shoulder.

Steam escaped the pipes with a hiss before Bane was once again thrown across the arena and left prone on the floor. Mammoth leapt after him before delivering one final blow, a savage punch that left Bane embedded several inches into the stone floor.

Bane groaned feebly, having not felt such ferocity before. This monster could attack him almost as hard as Superman could, and the criminal knew he had lost his island to the invaders.

The cultist who offered Bane the challenge simply smirked wider. Mammoth had proven himself to be a worthy champion for their glorious leader. It was with a broad grin that the man started chanting. "Hail Kobra… Hail Kobra!"

The rest of the cultists who were watching soon joined in, chanting and sending praises to their leader. Kobra simply watched from the rafters, his arms folded triumphantly as his subjects continued to praise his name for their victory.

* * *

 **Caribbean Sea – June 22** **nd** **, 20:08 ECT**

M'Gann's Bioship cruised just above the clouds, stealthily approaching the island of Santa Prisca. Inside the ship, the team sat silently, preparing themselves for what was to be their first official mission in the field. Robin's gaze was hardened, focused ahead. Kid's arms were folded impatiently, while Superboy intermittently clenched his fists, eager to get to work. Kaldur was the calmest, mentally repeating his role in the plan, while Keemia simply took the time to meditate and calm her nerves.

They'd all fought crime before, and each time they held their own easily and admirably. But this time they were in the heart of uncharted and hostile territory. Anything could go wrong if given the chance.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca," M'Gann said, calling all their attention forward as the island slowly faded into view from the distance. It was smaller than expected, but the jungles that covered the island were incredibly dense.

Robin nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing as he remembered their initial briefing for the mission from earlier:

 _-Flashback-_

"Isla Santa Prisca. This island is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid. A strength enhancing drug sold under the street name "Venom""; Batman explained, showing the team a map of the island which pointed out various hotspots of activity. "Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is still operating at full capacity. But all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut-off. That's where this team comes in."

Batman turned to the team, looking at them seriously. "This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will." he said before turning around and calling up another map, this one with two highlighted zones. "The plan requires two drop zones."

"Jumping head first into the island headquarters of Bane? This should be fun." Keemia grimaced slightly, folding her arms with a sigh.

"So who's in charge?" Tim asked curiously.

Batman seemed to regard him blankly for a moment before finally answering. "Work that out between you."

 _-Flashback End-_

Robin smirked remembering the discussion that happened after, wherein he was made the leader of the team for the duration of the mission. Hopefully, if all went well he would continue being leader afterwards too.

"Drop zone A in thirty," M'Gann said, derailing Robin's train of thought as Aqualad stood up from his seat, pressing the buckle on his belt. Instantly, the normally red and blue costume he wore slowly melted into two dark shades of grey.

"Ready," he affirmed her as M'Gann nodded.

"Putting Bioship in camouflage mode," she said before the ship shimmered and faded from view the island now barely a kilometre away. It descended close to the surface of the water before a hatch opened, and Aqualad dove out into the water.

Carefully swimming around the scattered mines left under the water as a deterrent for ships, he made his way to a large guard net before cutting through with his water bearers and continuing towards the beach. He soon leapt from the water, landing on the shore before he placed a special jamming device on the security sensor. Once it activated, he pressed a finger to his communicator. "Heat and motion sensors are patched, data is now on a continuous loop. Move in"

The Bioship continued slowly through the air before hovering in place above a small clearing in the trees. "Drop zone B." Miss Martian said before she and the remaining members of the team all stood. She focused her telepathy before bringing out some drop lines for the boys. Robin and Kid Flash both fastened theirs before Kid Flash pressed the logo on his uniform. Much like Aqualad's costume, his own suddenly changed to the black and grey stealth mode.

"How cool is this?" the speedster asked, looking at Miss Martian.

"Very impressive," she replied before she mentally changed her clothes to her own stealth tech. The skirt was replaced with a full body suit, as the white was replaced with a sleek black, and a hood was added to her cape.

"Uh, that works too." Kid Flash said with a dumb grin while Keemia rolled her eyes. Kid Flash noticed her actions before looking to her and Superboy. "Hey Supey, Djinn. Not too late to put on the new stealth tech."

"I already wear mostly black, so there's not really a point." Djinn shrugged.

"No capes, no tights. No offence." Superboy declared, folding his arms.

"It totally works for you…" M'Gann mused, a love-struck smile on her face before she blushed upon realizing what she said. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes." She said awkwardly before hiding her face in her hood to avoid further embarrassment, as well as camouflaging herself so she was hidden from their view.

"Heh, smooth." Keemia chuckled quietly, smirking as she did before sitting back on her staff. She was fine to float down like M'Gann, as opposed to using the cables like Robin and Kid Flash were.

The ship opened a porthole for them as she flew out, descending to the ground below. She was joined by Robin and Kid Flash on their cables just a few seconds later. They had just enough time to detach them before narrowly avoiding Superboy who simply leapt from the ship before hitting the ground with a heavy impact, shaking their surroundings.

"Knew I didn't need a line." The clone mused before Robin reappeared with the others.

"And yet creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert." Robin snarked, scowling at his teammate before Djinn floated down to the ground at last.

"I dunno Rob, I give him full points for the flare of it." She smirked, fist bumping with Superboy before they regrouped.

M'Gann took to the air above them, carefully watching their surroundings before activating her communicator. "Aqualad, drop B is go."

After a few seconds, he responded. "Head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."

"Roger that." Robin nodded, as he looked at their map on his holoscreen. The others crowded around to look at it as well before Robin took off, leading them into the underbrush of the jungle.

* * *

Under the light of the full moon, and covered by the branches of the trees overhead, the team moved quickly as they made their way to the factory. Robin took lead as he scaled up a small cliff face, watching their surroundings carefully.

"Any sign of activity?" Djinn asked as Robin shook his head.

"Not yet." He frowned before bringing up his holoscreen to check for motion around them.

Superboy was taking up the rear, his eyes primed for movement before the sound of a branch cracking underfoot caught his attention. It was still several dozen feet away, but it was close enough to put him in alert. "Did you hear that?" he asked carefully.

"Uh, no." Kid Flash said, turning to face him. "Wait, is this a super-hearing thing?"

"You do have great ears," M'Gann said with a smile while Keemia rolled her eyes a little.

"Keep yourself in check there Meg." She said before her eyes glowed. " **Laever efil sngis ot em!** " she cast before the magic spread out through the jungle. It soon returned to her, confirming what Superboy had said.

"I've got life signs, I just don't have any particular details about them. They're big though." She frowned.

"Okay Rob, now what?" Kid asked before all four turned to see their leader missing. He'd disappeared into the underbrush when their backs were turned. "Man I hate it when he does that"

"It's becoming a real trend with him." Keemia scowled before Kaldur radioed them again, having picked up on the same signal.

"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared. See if you're being tracked." He advised, rushing through the brush to meet them at the rendezvous.

Kid nodded before pulling his goggles down and turning on the infrared sensors within the lenses as he scanned the jungle. About a hundred feet ahead, he got his first signal. "Got a squad of armed bozos incoming."

He moved to cover to continue observation while Superboy looked around with his own enhanced vision to check his blind spots.

"Two squads." Superboy corrected, finding a second group of armed thugs a similar distance away. "But they'll meet each other before they find us."

As the squads met, the sudden sound of rapid gunfire could be heard echoing through the trees. M'Gann gasped as Keemia frowned thoughtfully.

"No super-hearing required now," Barry said.

"Is it a gang-war? It would explain the sudden lack of shipments." Keemia mused.

"But not the continued production." M'Gann continued.

"Swing wide, steer clear," Aqualad ordered, having heard the same commotion.

"Yeah-yeah, just as soon as I find Rob," Barry replied before tearing off downhill at breakneck speed to find their missing teammate.

With the continual rain that the island had received in past weeks, the ground was left slick and wet with mud. Coupled with the downhill slope and the high speed that Barry was maintaining, the lack of traction swiftly became a problem. He slipped part-way into his run before promptly sliding the rest of the way down the hill, rolling and crashing through mud and bushes as he went.

At the base of the hill, the two squads engaged in the fighting were revealed to be Bane and the last of his officers against a squadron of the Kobra cultists that were dispatched to find them. They exchanged heated gunfire from behind their cover, each trying to eliminate the other when their fight was interrupted by sudden screaming from further up the hill. Both parties turned in time to see Kid Flash crashing and rolling through the bushes, off a small embankment before landing in the mud in front of Bane, who regarded the sidekick first with confusion, then with ire.

Kid Flash grimaced, pulling his goggles off to see several armed men staring down at him, each one less than pleased at the current situation. "So much for the stealthy…" he said nervously before quickly moving to avoid the gunfire that was now aimed at him, as both partied briefly halted their attacks on each other to dispatch the young hero.

Bane and his men had a silent strategy among them; they would provide cover fire to herd their quarry, in this case Kid, to where Bane would simply take careful aim to bring him down. However, this plan was halted when Bane was tackled into the mud by Superboy. The large Hispanic man swiftly dropped his gun before immediately engaging the clone, using his greater expertise with wrestling to subdue him, and put him in a tight hold.

Superboy's strength proved to be a great asset, however, as he wrenched his hand free before grasping Bane's shirt and throwing the mercenary off of him and into the trunk of a large tree. He fell to the ground painfully, before Keemia helped him up.

"Great strategy there." She laughed before conjuring a barrier to block some of the bullets fired her way. " **Nrut rieht snug otni snekcihc!** "

The gunmen attacking her would soon find their rifles replaced with very irate poultry, as they proceeded the attack the gunmen instead. As they were distracted, Djinn moved in closer. " **Eit meht rehtegot!** " she said before the men found themselves tied tightly together with conjured ropes.

Two of Bane's men continued their barrage on Barry, who was easily leaping through the branches at a high sped to avoid their shots. Their focus proved their undoing as Robin suddenly dove down on them, knocking them to the ground. "What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert?" Robin chastised them, before kicking one of the gunmen in the chest before upper-cutting the other sending both to the ground. "Why didn't you follow my lead and vanish into the jungle?" he asked, before drawing and extending his Bo staff and using it to strike the first gunman in the face, knocking him out.

"That's what you were doing? Way to fill us in." Barry snarked, rapidly punching one of the other gunmen just a few feet away. "We're not mind readers you know!"

Just behind Barry, M'Gann used her telekinesis to knock two of the Kobra cultists into a tree, taking them out of the fight.

"Er, I'm not anyway." Barry corrected before M'Gann landed on the ground again.

"You told me I could only read the bad guys' minds." the Martian pointed out as Keemia landed next to her with another unconscious Kobra cultist in tow.

The last cultist tried to escape from the group, running back up the mountain path while Robin prepared a batarang to throw at him. However, the cultist was cut off by the sudden arrival of Kaldur who grasped the man before shocking him with electricity to knock him out.

* * *

With their battle over and the team having regrouped, they tied the gunmen up to two of the trees. Robin frowned as he looked at the cultists who were all tied together. "I recognize those uniforms. They belong to the Cult of the Kobra."

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation" Kaldur frowned, his arms folded.

"Agreed," Robin nodded. "And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."

"We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved." Kid Flash said quickly. "Radio Bats, and we'll be home in time for-"

"These cultists aren't on Venom," Robin said, cutting him off quickly. "Kobra's hoarding the stuff. We don't leave. Not until I know why."

"Until _you_ know why?" Barry scoffed.

"This team needs a leader." Robin countered.

"And it's you? Dude you're a fourteen-year-old kid, who ducked out on us without a word."

"Ha, and you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover first chance you got!"

Keemia watched the two argue with her arms folded, M'Gann and Superboy standing next to her. All three were clearly frustrated by the actions of their teammates.

"They're both idiots." Keemia scoffed before leaning on her staff again.

"Don't you want to lead?" M'Gann asked, looking at Superboy.

He scoffed a little at that, shaking his head. "You?"

"After the Mister Twister fiasco?" she said, looking a little unsure of herself at the prospect.

"You did alright," Superboy assured her with a smile, as she blushed faintly.

"Which is more than I can say for Pigeon Boy and the Brainless Wonder." Keemia drawled as Robin and Kid Flash continued their argument. Superboy was about to say something else before he turned his head, hearing Bane and his men talking to each other.

{" _Look at them argue! Free yourself and take them while they're distracted._ "} the lieutenant suggested before Bane shook his head.

{" _Quiet! For now, I play along. They'll give me what I need._ "} He assured the lieutenant while Superboy simply smirked. The G-Gnomes in CADMUS had given him the ability to understand more than a few languages, with Spanish being among them.

"Oh my god, they're still going? Ugh!" Keemia grimaced. "Is it too late to just hide in the House of Mystery?" she asked as Robin and Kid Flash passed by Bane with their argument.

"Yeah? You don't even have superpowers!" Kid Flash pointed out.

"Neither does Batman!" Robin defended.

"Duh, you're not Batman," Barry said.

"Duh, closest thing we've got," Robin said confidently before Bane suddenly started chuckling.

"Such clever niños. But you only know half the story." The man explained, his accent thick as the other members of the team took notice and gathered around him. "Let me show you the rest. Get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

M'Gann briefly scanned his surface thoughts before crouching in front of him to focus. "There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something." She said before attempting to read his mind.

"Ah, ah, ah, chica" Bane smirked. "Bane is not that easy."

"Ugh, he's mentally reciting football scores en Español. This could take a while" she sighed.

"It's not complicated." Bane chuckled. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The team look pensive at that. While they didn't necessarily want to trust Bane, his knowledge of the island would prove to be an invaluable asset for them if they wanted to continue their mission as efficiently as they could.

Finally, after having weighed their options, they had come to an answer.

Kaldur nodded.

* * *

Inside the factory, numerous large crates were carefully shuffled around by forklifts, as armed cultists continued to patrol the doors. As Bane and his men proved earlier, they had to be prepared for anything. Somehow, the drug lord had managed to free himself, along with his surviving cohorts. They were out of the factory before any real damage was done, but it proved that they were not to be underestimated at any cost.

Kobra watched the movement of the crates from one of the walkways overhead, his face was neutral, giving away no hint to his thoughts. As he surveyed the work, one of his many cultists approached him with a radio in his hand.

"Sublime master, he approaches." The cultist said.

"Activate the radio jamming net," Kobra ordered, his eyes narrowing. "Nothing must interfere."

The cultist bowed to Kobra before quickly hurrying to do as he was ordered.

* * *

Assisted by Bane, the team continued their trek through the jungle together before the masked villain led them to a cliffside. He gestured to the ground below, where his factory laid, the lights in the windows on signalling that its production line was active. Robin and Kid Flash both stepped forward, using binoculars to get a closer look at the operations down below them.

Through the goggles, they saw a large stack of several crates, each with the Kobra logo, and a forklift bringing out yet another crate to add to the collection. All around, numerous armed Kobra cultists watched the pile carefully, mindful of intruders. However, they hadn't detected the team or their villainous ally on the cliff above them.

"Look at all that product," Robin muttered. "A buy is going down. But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects then…"

"We need to identify that buyer." Kaldur continued.

"Just what I was thinking." Barry nodded.

"Yeah, you're the thinker." Robin laughed.

"Sarcasm? Dude…" the speedster groaned while Keemia nodded.

"I'm with Kid for once, now's not the time to act all high and mighty." She said seriously, with Kid agreeing to her sentiments.

"A real leader would focus on getting answers." He said before Bane easily lifted a large boulder resting nearby to reveal a tunnel into the ground, hewn out of what was once a large mine.

"Answers are this way." The large man smirked before proceeded down the tunnel. Barry watched him from the tunnel entrance, his arms firmly planted on his sides.

"So… now El Luchador is our leader." He snarked before Robin pushed past him, the others following behind. The tunnel extended for a few miles into the ground, before finally coming to an end with a large and heavy steel door. Bane pressed a button on the side before the door unlocked and slowly slid open with a dull metallic thud.

Just past the door was a side entrance into the factory. Bane opened the door first, taking a quick look before Robin took over as lookout. Once he determined the coast was clear he rushed out ahead. "All clear."

The others followed behind him into the empty factory, only to find no trace of Robin. Bane scoffed before turning back to them. "Has that little fool already been caught?"

"No, he just does that." Kaldur sighed while Barry pulled his goggles back on.

"Stay put. I'll get our intel and be back before the Boy Wonder." Kid said before speeding off.

"Wait, kid!" Kaldur said trying to stop him, but to no avail as the speedster quickly disappeared into the factory.

"And Kid Flash just does that…" Keemia groaned while Bane seemed amused.

"Great chain of command" he smirked as the others simply sighed at their team mate's brash actions.

* * *

In a communications room above the team, a lone cultist typed away at the computer, filing data and keeping track of the sensors. Both the heat and motion sensors relayed to him that the coast was clear before a batarang suddenly buried itself into the console. He barely had time to blink before a gas hissed out, knocking the man unconscious.

Robin unceremoniously tossed him out of the chair before sitting down and plugging his cable into the console. He began typing away furiously, digging up any and all relevant information he could. The earlier argument with Barry played over and over in his head. It was true, he didn't have powers. But to make up for that, he would prove himself the more capable detective and strategist.

He had to.

* * *

"It's a massive shipment," Kaldur whispered from his cover behind some crates. Keemia, M'Gann, and Superboy were all crouched beside him, while Bane simply ducked behind one of the large columns nearby due to his size.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new product off the line. They're not touching this Venom." Superboy pointed out. The cultists were in fact taking only the new product, the product that they themselves had made.

"Maybe freshness counts?" M'Gann suggested before Superboy suddenly looked up.

"Helicopters coming." He said as the others looked up. Sure enough, just coming into view from the distance was a large military-grade helicopter.

* * *

Back in the communications room upstairs, Robin had managed to pull up a file containing the chemical formulas for the latest batch of Venom. He was busy looking over them when Barry sped in, chewing on one of his many protein bars. The speedster stepped over the unconscious Kobra cultist as he looked over Robin's shoulder.

"What you got?" he asked curiously.

"Chemical formulas," Robin said, his brow furrowed in thought. "I'm guessing it involves Venom but…" he trailed off as the screen suddenly brought up two separate chemical structures. Kid Flash looked at them carefully, pointing to one.

"This one's Venom, and that one's… whoa." He grimaced. "The Blockbuster formula from CADMUS. Mixed correctly, Kobra's new juice is three times stronger than Venom… and permanent." He said gravely. "But how did Kobra get access to Project Blockbuster?"

"Our mystery buyer must also be Kobra's supplier!" Robin deduced. "Using the cult to create a Blockbuster-Venom super formula!" he said, standing up before pressing a finger to his communicator. "Robin to Aqualad, we got… static." He grimaced, getting no response from the comms due to an external radio jam.

* * *

Outside the factory, the helicopter had landed before a side door opened, revealing the mystery buyer to the cult. He was tall, built like a rugby player. His shoulders were broad and tough, and over his left shoulder he had a reinforced armoured shoulder pad, as well as arm guards all down his left arm. His outfit was a dark grey and clearly made of Kevlar, with a utility belt holding numerous punches. Finally, he wore a modified hockey mask that only had two slits for his eyes. This was Sportsmaster, an elite assassin, second only to Deathstroke.

He was incredibly dangerous, easily capable of fighting the Justice League on his own if he had enough time to get ready for them. The assassin took stock of the surroundings before approaching Kobra. The cult leader was waiting for him, flanked on both sides by Mammoth and his sister Shimmer, as well as numerous armed cultists watching over them.

"Lord Kobra." the assassin greeted, his voice neutral, with the faintest hint of a cockney accent.

"Sportsmaster." The cult leader nodded. "The shipment is ready." He said before Shimmer opened a small metal case to reveal five vials of the new Kobra-Venom.

Sportsmaster took one, carefully examining the tube. "The new Kobra-Venom?"

"A complete success," Kobra said with a rare smile, gesturing to Mammoth. "Our friends will not be disappointed."

"This is a game changer." Sportsmaster chuckled lightly. "Finally, we can go mano-a-mano with the Justice League." He said before pocketing the vial in his hand.

Unbeknownst to the villains below, Miss Martian floated overhead, using her own natural cloaking abilities to camouflage herself so she wasn't seen. ' _Aqualad, sending you a telepathic image of the buyer now_.' She said telepathically, before focusing on Sportsmaster and transmitting her own vision to Aqualad.

Inside the factory, Aqualad had moved to one of the numerous balconies, with Superboy and Bane flanking on either side. Keemia had used her magic to move about unseen, so she could safely watch the door for them in case more trouble arrived.

Kaldur closed his eyes, focusing intently on the images M'Gann sent him before suddenly opening his eyes wide in alarm. "Sportsmaster. He is the buyer?"

That got Bane's attention as he looked to Aqualad with mild interest. Sportsmaster's reputation had made itself known to Bane rather early on. In fact, both he and Sportsmaster were once approached by the League of Shadows on occasion. However, Bane's own activities prevented him from accepting such things. The fact that such a reputable assassin was buying this new formula was interesting… and alarming.

Kaldur grimaced before quickly pressing a finger to his communicator. "Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read?" he asked, waiting for an answer. After a few seconds of static, he realized they'd been jammed. "Ugh, can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid. Comm's jammed. We need a plan, now!"

Bane looked to the floor below before smirking wide. "I have a suggestion." He said before suddenly leaping from the walkway and onto two hapless cultists below. He struck one across the face before grasping the rifle of the other, redirecting the man's panicked burst of gunfire.

However, the sudden gunfire outside caught the attention of the villains as Mammoth turned, snarling. Keemia's eyes widened in alarm from her hiding spot as she quickly moved out of the way. "Oh shit." She muttered.

Up above, Kaldur watched in morbid fascination as Bane continued to throw the various cultists around, even as more opened fire on him. Superboy, however, took notice of Keemia's hasty retreat before looking to Kaldur with his eyebrow raised slightly.

The Atlantean however, had not noticed their teammate's retreat, instead continuing to watch Bane. "What is he-"

His thought would suddenly be cut off as Mammoth leapt through the wall behind them, and landing on the walkway. The old iron supports gave way to the sudden force, sending the whole thing plummeting to the ground. Aqualad and Superboy landed safely before seeing Mammoth land in front of them as well, the large monster giving a savage roar before he ran at them, flanked by more Kobra cultists.

"Destroy them!" Kobra ordered before Superboy rushed forwards to meet Mammoth head on. The monster immediately engaged the clone, while Kaldur drew his water bearers and formed a shield to deflect the bullets being fired at him. While one made the shield and kept its shape. The other one was used to fire rapid shots of water to take out the cultists.

Another group tried to flank around the side before Keemia landed in front of them. "Let's give this one a try, shall we? **Melog rof em ot lortnoc!** "

The ground in front of her rumbled before a large stone man emerged, ten feet tall and built just like the Juggernaut. Keemia smirked before making complex combat motions with her arm, akin to martial arts. The golem followed her every movement knocking the cultists aside with ease and blocked their bullets with its arms.

Another group of cultists attempted to fire at her, but she was ready, looking back to the golem. " **Tcetorp ruoy ssertsim** ," she said, as the golem suddenly broke off to attack them as well, while Keemia swapped to firing magic fireballs at her opponents.

Bane watched their fighting from where he had hidden behind a column, before chuckling and retreating back down the tunnel they came in from.

Sportsmaster, drawn by the gunfire, entered the factory as well to stand alongside Shimmer and Kobra while they watched their troops fighting the three young heroes. Miss Martian flew in overhead, using her telepathy to fling around the cultists. However, numerous encounters with Mirage and Martian Manhunter had taught Sportsmaster how to spot an invisible opponent, as he watched the air appear to ripple around her slightly.

With her teammates distracted, he pulled a small cylinder from his pocket before pressing a button as it suddenly became a javelin. He took aim before throwing it at the invisible girl, with M'Gann just barely dodging it in time. Sportsmaster anticipated her to dodge however, and once the javelin was alongside her, it suddenly exploded. The blast sent M'Gann flying elsewhere in the factory as Keemia ran off to check on her.

Robin and Kid Flash reappeared as well, hearing the commotion as Barry rushed to ground level while Robin pursued Kobra himself. Kid Flash plowed through several gunmen before knocking more aside, preventing them from attacking Kaldur. A sudden stream of bullets forced him behind cover before Kaldur nodded to him.

"Miss Martian, radio is jammed. Link us up!" he called out as Keemia had found the Martian girl, helping her up.

M'Gann nodded before focusing her telepathy until she'd found all their teammates. ' _Everyone online?_ '

' _Yeah, and I think I'm getting better at this now. Didn't flinch once._ " Keemia said with a grin.

' _Yeah.'_ Superboy answered with a dull frustration in his tone before he threw another flurry of punches at Mammoth.

' _You know it beautiful._ ' Kid Flash said with a grin from behind cover.

' _I heard that Barry!_ ' Keemia said telepathically before making a quick barrier to block more of the bullets as her golem finally succumbed to the attackers and crumbled away.

' _Good. We need to regroup!_ ' Aqualad said seriously.

' _Busy now!_ ' was Robin's only response as he landed in front of the helicopter to meet Kobra and Shimmer.

"Batman must be desperate if he sends his whelp to task me." the cult leader said snidely as Shimmer stood next to him, ready for orders.

"What's wrong Koby? You look disconcerted." Robin joked, drawing his Bo staff again, and twirling it easily.

The cult leader was unimpressed. "This is beneath me. Shimmer, take him." He ordered before the girl rushed forward to attack. Robin easily used his staff to leap over her before getting into a battle ready stance behind her. He was about to attack her himself when Aqualad contacted him again.

' _Robin, now!_ " he ordered.

Reluctantly, Robin threw a flash bang to the ground just as Shimmer rushed him again, distracting her for long enough that he could escape unnoticed by her and her master.

' _We need to retreat. Kid, clear a path._ ' Kaldur ordered, throwing more cultists around with his water bearers. Barry was quick to respond as he used his speed to easily plow through the cultists before running ahead, with Robin and Aqualad close behind. They ran back through the secret tunnel they used earlier, with Miss Martian and Keemia coming in behind them. Finally, Superboy threw Mammoth into more of the cultists before he too entered the tunnel and closed the large iron vault door that blocked it off.

The team moved quickly, however it wasn't long before Mammoth had broken the door down, allowing the cultists to continue their pursuit.

"Superboy, the support beams!" Kaldur called out as Superboy used his strength to easily knock down several of the old wooden supports. Without the sturdy planks to hold it up anymore, the roof of the tunnel suddenly started to cave in.

The cultists dove out of the way to avoid the falling rocks and debris. When it was all over, a massive wall of rock and soil had cut them off from the escaping heroes. Mammoth snorted once in disapproval before reluctantly turning back.

* * *

Twenty feet ahead, on the other side of the cave in, Kaldur took out a glow stick before cracking it to give them some extra light. The cave in had severed the cables that used to give the lanterns in the tunnel power, leaving them in the dark. Robin simply looked at the cave in itself with a frown.

"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" he asked as Keemia bit back a laugh.

"Because you weren't being much of a leader Pigeon." She stated bluntly before Kaldur elbowed her in the ribs.

"You do have the most experience. But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared." He reasoned. "Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined. You two do not need to talk. But this team is new, and leader must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?" Robin said with a sneer before the sharp sound of skin hitting skin was heard, and he was left holding his face after Keemia had slapped him. Hard.

"No, but you're supposed to tell what we're doing. You're our leader, you make the plan, but you delegate it to us! You and Batman communicate without talking, you know the strategy, but we don't. You have to let us know, or else you're not much of a leader. You're sending us blind into a fight, with an unknown strategy, while you act like we're beneath you because you're _leader_." She scowled, folding her arms. "Speak to us Tim! For once in your life, act like we're important in your plans of action."

Tim stared at her for a moment, his hand rubbing his still sore cheek while the others watched in surprise. Finally, he sighed before nodding. "You're right, who am I kidding?" he said before looking at Aqualad. "You should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

"Please, I can run circles aroun-" Kid Flash started before Tim cut him off again.

"Barry come on! You know he's the one, we all do."

" _Hello_ Megan, it's so obvious!" Miss Martian reasoned.

"That's what you get for being trained by a king." Keemia laughed while Superboy nodded.

"Could have told you." The clone voiced with a smirk.

Barry seemed a little reluctant, but after weighing the options, he nodded before looking at Kaldur with a grin. "Okay."

Kaldur nodded gratefully in return before walking towards Tim and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Then I accept the burden until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon."

Tim nodded at that before looking to Keemia with a coy smirk. "And Keemia should be your second-in-command."

"I… what? You're kidding right?" she said in surprise, looking around at the others. "Why me?"

"Because you're not afraid to keep us in line, and you're pretty much Kaldur's right-hand already." Tim shrugged while M'Gann nodded eagerly.

"Robin's right. You should be our second!"

Keemia looked to Superboy for assistance, but he only shook his head. "Ugh, fine. I'm second-in-command. But don't expect me to delegate."

"Don't worry, we won't." Barry laughed. "You're too blunt for that."

Keemia shot him a death glare before Kaldur called their attention again. "Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island."

"Funny, I had the same thought," Tim smirked before everyone gathered around for the plan.

* * *

Back with the helicopter, the blades tried in vain to rotate, slowly creaking to life, only for them to stop just as fast, unable to move. Sportsmaster exited, a less than enthused expression on the other side of his mask. "Sabotage. Robin?" he asked as Kobra gave a reluctant nod.

"Undoubtedly. Find the problem, fix it." He ordered Shimmer, before the girl did as she was told and went to repair the rotors.

As she left, another cultist approached, with Mammoth close behind. "Master, shall we send search parties after the intruders?"

"Don't be absurd." Kobra scoffed. "They'll come to us." he reasoned before walking off, knowing that the heroes would be back to try and stop them again.

* * *

"Sportsmaster's the supplier/buyer, but it still doesn't track." Robin frowned as the team ran back through the tunnel, heading to the surface. "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula, or to get Kobra to do his dirty work."

"And neither of them have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom." Barry chimed in. "That took some major nerdage."

"Then they clearly both have outside contacts. This could be bigger than we thought." Keemia said with a sigh.

"I believe the expression is 'tip of the iceberg'" Kaldur added before the stopped just a few metres from the entrance of the cave. Waiting for them outside was Bane. The man was clutching a detonator in his hand, with a confident smirk etched on his face.

"Halt niños. I'm feeling… explosive." He ordered as the team looked around them to see the numerous charges planted in the wall.

"Eh tu, Bane?" Keemia sighed in annoyance.

"You betrayed us, why?" Kaldur asked.

"I want my factory back." Bane said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, while Kaldur cast a side-eye at Barry.

' _Kid you'll need a running start!_ " he ordered as the speedster slowly stepped back behind the others so he was unseen by Bane.

"So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies, or die trying." Bane continued. "If the latter, the Justice League would certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks. And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more! Blowing the tunnel with you inside," he smirked, raising the detonator. "Should have the same effect."

With that, he pressed his thumb down to activate the explosives, before his eyes widened in surprise. He no longer had the detonator for the tunnel. "With what?" a smug voice asked, before Bane turned to see Kid Flash behind him, holding the detonator. "This trigger thingy?"

Bane looked at the speedster before giving a furious roar and attempting to strike him. That's when Keemia made her move.

" **Dnib sih sbmil!** " she cast as Bane's legs and arms suddenly locked to his body, rendering him unable to move while M'Gann used her telepathy to hoist him in the air. She rotated him around to face the rest of the team as they exited the tunnel before Superboy got into a ready stance below him, an eager smirk on his face.

"Finally. Drop him." He asked before M'Gann released her telepathic hold on him. The last thing Bane remembered was the ground rushing towards him as Superboy's fist rushed towards his face.

* * *

Slowly, the blades of the helicopter whirred back to life as it prepared for takeoff, much to the relief of the cultists who wished to escape Kobra's ire. One of them approached their leader before bowing reverently.

"The helicopter is operational, exalted one." He said as Sportsmaster nodded gratefully, taking the last suitcase of Kobra-Venom from Shimmer before he walked towards the helicopter. As he made his way over, a sudden blur would rush in front of him, taking out several of the armed guards.

The offender would soon reveal himself to be Kid Flash, as he kicked another gunman through several crates. "Take the shipment!" Kobra ordered as several more cultists came to cover Sportsmaster's escape.

They would soon be joined by Superboy, who landed roughly on the ground in front of Mammoth, sending more of the cultists sprawling across the ground. "Go again?" he asked with a cocky grin as the monster charged towards him. However, it would suddenly be knocked out of the way by a powerful geyser, courtesy of Kaldur, who flung him away across the tarmac.

"Sorry, not the plan." Superboy grinned before moving to engage Sportsmaster as Kaldur kept Mammoth pinned down. Sportsmaster soon made his reappearance holding what appeared to be a crossbow. However, it revealed itself as a high powered rifle that shot dangerous energy bolts, as he fired two shots into Superboy's back. Sportsmaster kept up his barrage, while M'Gann stealthily made her way into the side compartment of the helicopter.

Superboy kept up as a distraction as M'Gann made her way to the opened back of the helicopter, before attempting to take the assassin by surprise. Sportsmaster was ready for that as he simply back flipped over the surprised Martian before putting her in a tight choke-hold. He used her as a shield to keep Superboy away, before continuing his assault.

Kobra watched in disdain as the new, organized attack that the heroes made swiftly took down more and more of his cultists. Kid Flash in particular was especially effective as he punched out another gunman in front of the cult leader before stealing his mask with a grin. "Souvenir!" he grinned before rushing off, just as two bolas struck Shimmer, tying her up and forcing her to the ground.

Kobra turned in the direction they came from to see Djinn and Robin waiting for him. "I know you hate getting your hands dirty," Robin smirked.

"True," Kobra confirmed before removing his hood and robe to reveal a well-toned, muscled body underneath, with frighteningly pale skin. "But sometimes, even a god must stoop to conquer."

Shimmer meanwhile, focused before the bolas around her suddenly turned into sand and crumbled away. Keemia saw this and flashed Robin a grin. "You can take Kobra, that one there can use transmutation. She's mine." She grinned before vanishing her staff and moving to engage Shimmer. Shimmer looked at the other girl curiously, while Keemia smirked.

"So, you can transmute stuff too? This should be fun." she laughed before removing her gloves and revealing the transmutation circles tattooed on the back of her hands, the circles glowing faintly from her magic. Shimmer was now more enthused as she gave a smirk of her own.

"Finally, someone interesting." The girl taunted before focusing on the air in front of her and suddenly igniting the oxygen, throwing a column of fire at Keemia. Keemia rolled nimbly out of the way before pulling sand out of the pouch on her belt.

"Please, that's amateur." She scoffed before transmuting the silicate of the sand into glass and flinging numerous shards, propelling them with her magic.

Robin meanwhile rushed towards Kobra before jumping up to kick him in the jaw. The cult leader simply caught his foot with little effort before Robin fell to the ground. Robin was quick, attempting another sweeping kick before leaping at Kobra's face again. Yet again the leader halted him with one hand before kicking him aside.

Robin caught himself carefully, sliding on his feet along the ground, while Kobra simply folded his arms behind his back. "What's wrong, boy? You look disconcerted."

While their battle began Kid Flash continued rushing around the field, taking out all of the gunmen he could find, while Kaldur finally stopped pushing Mammoth back with the water. While keeping the stream on the monster, he flooded the water with volts of electricity, as many as he could transmit. Mammoth roared in pain at the electric shock before finally seizing and collapsing on the ground, out of the fight.

Sportsmaster slowly backed into the helicopter as Superboy continued to approach him, the numerous shots from the gun having destroyed his shirt, but not harming the clone in the slightest. The assassin didn't seem put out by this though. "Thanks for the workout, but I got to fly." He chuckled before throwing M'Gann into Superboy, sending them both sprawling as the helicopter closed and he started to fly it away.

Superboy glared after it before looking at M'Gann expectantly. She nodded slightly before raising the detonator with a smile and activating it. In an instant, all of the explosives they retrieved from the tunnel detonated where she had hidden them, all over the inside of the helicopter. The explosions wracked the aircraft, as Sportsmaster struggled to keep it airborne. With the helicopter quickly descending towards the factory, Sportsmaster decided to cut his losses, leaping from the craft before parachuting into the jungle below, while the helicopter collided with the factory, resulting in a massive explosion that destroyed the entire building.

* * *

Far above the battle below, on the same cliff where had attempted to betray them, Bane now found himself tied to a tree. The rhythmic thumping of the helicopter blades had awoken him, and he turned his head in time to see the rear of the helicopter explode, before the craft crashed into his factory, sending the building up in a massive column of fire and smoke.

He watched his life's work once again crumble before him, and all he could do was glare.

* * *

Back near the ruined factory, Shimmer and Keemia continued to exchange attacks back and forth. It was quickly evident however that Shimmer was far more used to using her alchemic talents to their fullest potential, as she easily turned a stream of water launched at her into steam before condensing it into a spear of ice and throwing it back at Keemia.

"You're an amateur playing an expert's game. Just give up now little girl." She taunted.

"Please, and you're much older? Have you even started puberty?" Keemia scoffed, dodging the spear and turning it harmlessly back into water.

"Oh, you did not go there." Shimmer scowled, clenching her fists.

"Damn right I did. I'm fighting a talking surfboard!" Keemia continued to taunt, before Shimmer screamed angrily, planting her hands on the ground. Immediately the earth seemed to crumble away beneath Keemia, eroding rapidly. Keemia took that moment to dive in the ground, rapidly transmuting the soil out of her way before she launched out of the ground right underneath the teenaged villain.

She grasped her by the throat before tossing her onto the ground. Shimmer grunted, the wind being knocked out of her before trying to stand as Keemia pressed her hand to her forehead. " **Ekam eht draobfrus llaf peelsa!** " she cast before Shimmer was suddenly overcome with fatigue, passing out soon after.

"Heh, gotcha." Keemia chuckled before pulling her gloves back on.

Robin's battle was not going as well as he soon found himself tossed into the ground hard before Kobra stomped on his chest, holding the boy wonder on the ground with little effort. "I am plagued, by mosquitos!" he said, clearly very frustrated by the turn of events.

"Good," Robin grunted from underneath him. "Because this mosquito's mighty concerted over your pain!" he said before rolling out from under Kobra and leaping back to his feet. Once that was done, he back flipped over to his team, who had regrouped, ready to take down the would-be god.

Kobra stared them down, prepared to engage, before thinking better of it. "Another time, then." He whispered before disappearing into the trees, choosing to cut his losses and retreat from the battle.

Robin hurried into the brush to search for him before scowling when he saw that Kobra had managed to get away. After sighing at the disappointment, he returned to his team again, smiling at Kaldur. "We picked the right guy to lead."

"I should say we did." Keemia nodded, her arms folded expectantly. "I'm surprised you doubted that."

"Like I was saying, we picked the right guy to lead. Which, automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman." Robin continued before laughing and watching the remains of the factory slowly burn.

Kaldur couldn't help but grimace at that.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 4** **th** **, 01:06 EDT**

"A simple recon mission. Observe and report." Batman said with a scowl, his bat-glare in full force as he stared down Kaldur. Ever since the team had returned, he was far less than impressed with how the mission had turned out. After glaring at Kaldur, he moved along the line of the other teens, giving them each the same reprimanding glare as they stood before him in their civilian guises again. "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes."

At that, Keemia took an opportunity to elbow Barry while Batman's back was turned, the speedster simply huffing in response.

"Until then…" Batman paused, turning to look at them from in front of the console. "Good job."

The six's eyes widened in surprise before they each shot Batman their own looks of wonder and confusion.

"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success," Batman explained before giving the faintest of smiles. "And how you choose who leads determines character."

At that, Kaldur shot Tim a brief smile of gratitude, which Tim was more than happy to return.

'So I guess this team thing is gonna work out after all.' Keemia thought to herself, sighing softly in relief. 'Just as long as it's not this hectic in the future. I don't think I can handle the stress of waiting for Batman to explain how we went wrong every time it goes wrong.'

* * *

 **-Unknown Location-**

"All I managed to recover is a single ampoule of Kobra-Venom," Sportsmaster reported with a sigh, holding the single tube that he had pocketed earlier. He was standing in front of seven screens, each one transmitting a silhouette to him as the Light held his audience.

"Peut-etre," one said, in a very distinct French accent. "The drug can be reverse engineered. Mais, what of our young heroes? First CADMUS, then Mister Twister, now Santa Prisca."

"Once is happenstance," the gravelly voice of their leader began. "Twice is coincidence. But three times is enemy action. And enemies of the Light must not stand."

* * *

 **Washington, D.C. – August 5** **th** **, 02:23 EDT**

"Brother, I have something that you must see," Dubbilex said, entering Guardian's office with a file clutched in his hand. Guardian looked at him with a frown before taking the file. Just from glancing inside he was immediately set on edge, but the details within left him not only startled, but horrified.

"I can't believe this. And Desmond knew?" he asked.

"I believe so. After all, his research was used in the process. However, most of the research involved in the ageing came from Hamilton's research in the Galatea project, much like with Project Kr."

"Is this another clone?"

"No, it is an original being."

"Then CADMUS stole a…. And they used it as blackmail? Held it and experimented on it for blackmail?" Guardian grimaced before standing up. "To what end?"

"I don't know, but I imagine it had something to do with the events last month on your Independence Day." Dubbilex continued, in reference to the super-villain attacks, before leading Guardian to the elevator, before stepping in and hitting the button for Sub-level 7.

Guardian took a breath to steady himself before nodding. "Yes, that makes sense. Although if that were the case the true reason is much more obvious. Just from reading this file alone it has to be." He said before the two walked down a hall to one of the laboratories.

"Since they have awakened, I have had G-Gnomes provide the proper education and knowledge for one of their expected age. I imagine that a proper exposure to the outside world would assist in that endeavour as well." Dubbilex mused before looking through the glass into the lab. "But I believe if we are to help her any more, then we should inform the League."

"Or if not the League, at least the team. They'd be happy to help us out with this. Maybe they can set her up with a good home." Guardian nodded before he too looked through the glass. "But until then… what do we do with her?"

* * *

 **Boom! Another plot twist! But what could this one mean?**

 **Some general housekeeping to go through though:**

 **Ace is not on the team yet because of what Batman alluded to last chapter regarding her combat training. But she will join them for the next chapter. So be excited for that.**

 **Shimmer has her powers early. I know she technically gets them in Season 2 of YJ, but she is so useless otherwise and I just wanted to extend the fight a little bit. it helped give her something to do anyway. And while I have seen all of FMA and FMA Brotherhood, Shimmer and Keemia's alchemy is more akin to Shimmer's powers in the original comics. Those being: anything will become anything without needing proper equivalencies and portions of the various properties. No precision necessary!**

 **Sportsmaster gets a nice little reference all to himself rather early in his appearance here. Anyone who can guess it will be my hero.**

 **Kaldur is still team leader. I know some of you might have wanted Keemia to lead, but Kaldur is more suited to it. Keemia is second-in-command though, mostly because she and Kaldur trust each other the most. This will make future chapters fun as well.**

 **Bane's canon in YJ gets tied a little closer to the DCAU canon, including a reference to our dearly departed Gorilla Grodd (May he and Tala have... uncomfortable relations wherever they both ended up).**

 **And that should just about cover it all. Let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving a review, and be sure to continue guessing the identities of the OC and canon character. The suspense will only build surrounding them until they finally appear, and I can't wait to see if any of your guesses change at all. (Props to AutobotSeeker98 for guessing Cameron Mahkent though. That one blindsided me. But it was an awesome guess).**

 **Next time however, it's time for the team to get Schooled. And Superboy's relation to Superman starts nearing a breaking point.**

 **Be sure to read and review!  
**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	5. Schooled

**Hey everybody! I'm back with another chapter!**

 **Thank you all for your patience here, I hope to get these out to you as soon as possible. I just need time to make sure everything is perfect. But first, an announcement; Sandman Unlimited has officially crossed over 100000 views! I never could have imagined we'd get here, and with how this story has been going so far, it'll be on the fast track to 10000 soon!**

 **Another announcement, this one a bigger surprise: a new story is premiering alongside this chapter! Yes indeed, I'm finally releasing my series of one-shot chapters from the Sandman Unlimited universe (Which I have also given the designation of Earth-45!), so be on the lookout for "Tales from Earth-45". The first chapter is about the Dark Division!**

 **As always though, lets check out some reviews!:**

 **Ronmr: Angry chickens are always fun for a reason**

 **rmarcano321: Eh, surfboard just sounded better in my mind than plank did. Two syllables rolls off the tongue a little nicer. You are right about Kaldur though. Made for Young Justice, then ported to the comics. And the disconnect between the two interpretations has remained confusing ever since.**

 **xbox432: Trust me, this Easter egg would be hard to find, and even then its from an obscure series. If you enjoy Abridged series however... This new CADMUS character though, she'll be a fun one to use.**

 **7-Eleventh: Dormammu is busy bargaining at the moment. You are correct that a few members of the Fearsome Five have shown up (just don't expect them to actually form the Fearsome Five). Shimmer will be back a lot though, watch for that. The girl i the pod will be coming soon... really soon...**

 **Lucian Naruto: From what I've seen, Mallah and Grodd have never met. Not in the comics, and not in the DCAU. Or any DC licensed show/movie for that matter. However, Mallah was given his super-intellect before Grodd died. After all, the Doom Patrol has existed in my universe for some time now.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Once again, I'm overwhelmed with all of your positive feedback. I'm glad you liked the structure of the last chapter, and hopefully this next one doesn't disappoint either. Tim's growth will definitely mirror him becoming his Rebirth/Pre-New 52 self. It'll be a fun journey. I'm glad you enjoy me references to the greater lore, both of the comics and the last story. It makes everything seem so much more immersive I feel. I should clarify one thing though: Beast Boy does not have his powers yet. I had an explanation originally with the Doom Patrol (Who in my head canon has been formed for a while.), however Garfield has not featured as part of it. He'll be appearing as normal in Young Justice. So, consider his reference from Static Shock apocryphal. Clark will get his wake-up call soon. I also must thank you for the reference for Nina going forward. Granted I imagined her more like Rangiku Matsumoto from Bleach as opposed to Meiko Shiraki, but either could work I think. Thanks again for your kind words my friend.**

 **Thank you all for every comment! I love each one, they make writing these so much easier.**

 **And now, for the disclaimer;**

 **I own nothing but the original idea for the crossover. Keemia and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official release.**

 **And away we go!**

* * *

 **Metropolis – August 3** **rd** **, 07:38 EDT**

As a city patrolled by two of the most powerful and popular members of the Justice League, Metropolis is no stranger to frequent dangers. Even an early morning commute can quickly become a hazardous affair. To the surprise of those driving on the Metropolis bridge, the danger came not from a super-villain's attack, as was so common in their city. Instead, it came from a simple failure of structural integrity.

The road between two of the support pillars rumbled and cracked as the metal beams that held it in place buckled under the weight of the bridge. Apparently, the old iron was in need of a replacement sooner, rather than later. The sudden lurching of the pavement caused several cars to skid out of control as they collided with the concrete barriers. One school bus, in particular, became the victim of an onslaught of cars. The continuous barrage of vehicles slamming into the bus drove it further into the barrier until it broke through and hung precariously off the edge of the bridge. The numerous elementary school students inside clung to their seats fearfully while the driver tried in vain to keep them calm.

From the Wayne Enterprises building across the opposite end of the river, one particular billionaire watched the situation carefully. With little room for hesitation, he pressed a secret button on his desk, revealing his hidden Batsuit, which he kept for just such an occasion. His early morning meeting would have to wait.

A sudden sonic boom stopped him prematurely as the telltale red cape of Metropolis' most famous hero quickly flew onto the scene. Superman was swift to move under the bridge, carefully pushing the buckling road back into the position as he used his heat vision to try mending the cracked beams. However, due to where he was positioned, he was left without a good angle to hit them.

"Need a hand there cousin?" a familiar voice called as Supergirl arrived alongside Clark before using her own heat vision to mend the beams.

"I had it taken care of. But I appreciate the assistance." He said with a small chuckle.

"Well, let's get those people in the cars off the edge there." Kara beamed before a sudden impact shook the entire foundation. "Whoa, did one of the towers fall?"

Superman held back a sigh, as he shook his head. "No, that would be… him."

"Him? Him who?" Supergirl asked before flying back up to the top of the bridge. Once she did, she noticed a figure in a black t-shirt and cargo pants moving to pull cars to safety. The crest of the House of El was emblazoned on his chest proudly in a deep crimson, and he looked almost like a younger Clark.

"Did I just get another cousin or something?" Kara asked as she moved to help the younger Kryptonian with the school bus.

"I guess…" the boy said, looking at her unsure.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'm Supergirl, but you can call me Kara." She greeted cheerfully before shaking his hand. "I've been in deep space until about a week ago, so I haven't been brought up to speed on you yet."

"I'm Superboy. No name yet. I'm Superman's clone." He said, a weak smile slowly growing on his face.

"Another clone in the family eh? I'll have to introduce you to Karen sometime. She's like the older sister I never had." She beamed before Superman landed on the bridge behind them. Unlike his chipper cousin, his look was far more subdued and unimpressed.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but your landing almost destabilized the entire bridge," Superman said seriously.

"It didn't." Superboy answered with a scowl.

"But it could have." Superman countered. Kara looked between the two in surprise. She had never seen Clark become so cold to someone before. And if he really was his clone…

"We don't yet know the limits of your powers." Clark continued to admonish. Superboy looked off to the side before sighing.

"Well, maybe you could, you know… help me figure that out." He said, almost pleadingly. Kara could see it in his eyes. While he needed the training clearly, what he needed more was the acceptance. Acceptance Clark wasn't giving him.

"Yeah, we could totally do that, right cousin?" Supergirl said with a smirk, almost daring Clark to say otherwise.

"No!" Superman shouted, looking at Kara seriously before realizing what he said and clearing his through sheepishly. "Batman's got that covered."

"Clark, what's gotten into you?" Kara asked with a frown, moving closer to Superboy before she and Superman got an alert over their communicators.

"Superman," Clark said, answering his communicator quickly while Kara continued to frown at him. "Wait, Arrow slow down!" he urged, clearly reacting to some sort of panic in his teammate's voice. 'What's attacking?" Superman asked before casting a sidelong glance at Superboy. After a brief period of uncomfortable silence, he continued. "No, I'm definitely available. Coordinates? Acknowledged, on my way."

Once he had finished, he turned back to a disappointed Superboy and a less than impressed Supergirl. Deciding to leave before things got any more awkward, he gave the clone a brief nod. "Sorry Superboy… duty calls." He said before quickly rocketing off into the sky and flying to the source of the distress.

"Ugh, what a jerk!" Supergirl scowled before putting an apologetic hand on Superboy's shoulder. "I'm sorry about Superjerk there. For what it's worth, I'll definitely help train you." She said as Superboy gave her a small but appreciative smile. "I'll even bring Karen, she'd love to meet you. But for now, I'd better help my cousin. See you 'round younger cousin!" she grinned before flying off after Superman.

While Supergirl's apology went a long way to helping, Superboy still glared after the retreating form of the Man of Steel, once again turned down and ignored by the closest thing he had to a father. With a shake of his head, he leapt away from the bridge, going somewhere to clear his head.

It didn't take Supergirl long to catch up to her cousin, and soon she was flying alongside him. However, she wasn't in the mood for much talking with him. "I don't know what your problem is Clark, but we are going to be having a discussion about this. Soon. _Very_ soon." She said before rocketing ahead of him.

Superman looked after her in confusion before getting a call from Batman on his communicator. "Already got the alert, Bruce." He said, knowing that the detective would want to follow up on Arrow's distress.

"I know, Clark. But we need to talk." The detective said seriously. From the window of his high-rise office building, he stared after the Kryptonian hero, his mind already formulating the discussion they would be having soon enough.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 3** **rd** **, 13:06 EDT**

" _Recognized: Djinn B-04_ " the computerized voice read out as Keemia teleported into the base, an iced coffee clutched in her right hand. She took a sip, looking around the cave before spotting her teammates huddled around an air hockey table. Kaldur and Barry were currently in the middle of a game, Barry far less invested than Kaldur as he ate a banana while playing.

'Glad to see I didn't miss much.' she thought to herself, rolling her eyes, before noticing Ace standing off to the side awkwardly. The girl seemed to watch the others nervously, feeling incredibly out of place. Keemia watched her for a moment before walking over to stand next to her. "So, does this mean you're officially on the team?"

Ace looked at her for a moment, before looking away nervously. "Yeah, I am. Batman was satisfied with how my training had progressed, so he thinks I'm ready for the field now."

"Well I'm not sure if we're in the field today. I think we're just waiting on more combat training." She shrugged before taking another sip. "How are you at hand to hand?"

"I'm… okay. Ms. Waller was adamant that I have at least some rudimentary training. I can break holds… but not much else." She admitted, her posture relaxing a little more.

"Well it should be a learning experience then." Keemia smiled, before looking at Ace again. She was more comfortable than before, but she was clearly still nervous. "Hey, I get it. No one likes being the new kid, and this is your first time out of the basement in years. Just relax, no one here bites. Well, Barry might, but he's had his shots." She smirked.

Ace laughed a little at her joke before looking back at the game. Somehow, Barry had managed to score yet another point against Kaldur despite being intently focused on the fruit in his hand, something that the Atlantean was getting more and more frustrated about.

Any further playing was halted by the teleporter whirring to life again. " _Recognized: Superboy B-05_ ," the voice said as the aforementioned clone entered. However, his face was hardened into another one of his frequent glares.

M'Gann flashed him a smile as he walked up to them. "Hi Superboy, how was Metropolis?" she asked happily.

He didn't seem to hear her however, or else just didn't react, as he walked right through the laser projected air hockey table, turning the program off as he continued further into the mountain.

"Great, he's in another mood." Keemia sighed, rolling her eyes before seeing Ace's brow furrow in worry as she looked at Superboy. "He gets like this sometimes. Don't worry, he just needs time to cool his head. He'll come around, he always does." She assured, placing a gentle hand on Ace's shoulder. Ace looked at the hand quizzically before instantly relaxing.

"Thanks. That makes me feel a little better." Ace admitted. "Still, his anger…. It unnerves me a bit."

"Understandable. He's definitely intimidating at times. But he means well." Keemia nodded. "I'm glad you feel better though. I'd like for you to stick around, I could use more friends lacking a Y chromosome."

"You consider me a friend?" Ace asked in surprise.

"Of course I do. Just stick with me kid, we'll go places." Keemia grinned before the silence was broken by Black Canary clearing her throat. "Ready for training everyone?" the blonde superheroine asked, entering the room alongside Martian Manhunter and Salamandra.

"Black Canary! Uncle J'onn, Aunt Salamandra!" M'Gann greeted happily as she rushed forward to hug her uncle, and then her aunt.

"It's good to see you, my little Xiàngrìkuí." Salamandra greeted, hugging the Martian girl close. "I trust you've been well?"

"Yes I have." She nodded eagerly as J'onn gave her a warm smile.

"We were in the neighbourhood, so we thought we'd see how you were adjusting." He greeted.

"That, and I'm here to help Black Canary with the training." Salamandra nodded.

"A few bumps," M'Gann admitted, before smiling wider. "But I'm learning."

"That's all we can ask," J'onn said with a nod. While the family got reacquainted, Superboy attempted to take the opportunity to finally leave. He stopped to watch when Black Canary came in, but now he was looking forward to some time alone.

Unfortunately, Canary saw him before he could get too far. "Stick around. Class is in session." She said, now in full teacher mode, as the ground below their feet glowed to become a makeshift sparring platform. Superboy stopped, turning to face her with his arms folded as Canary addressed the rest of the team. "I consider it an honour to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you. Everything I've learned from my own mentor," she started before grunting in pain as she removed her jacket to reveal a row of bandages along her left arm. "And my own bruises."

"What happened?" M'gann asked, her worry evident.

"The job," Canary said plainly before tossing her jacket away. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict. Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting." She explained before looking to the team with interest. "I'll need a sparring partner."

"Right here, yeah!" Barry said eagerly while Keemia face-palmed.

"Oh brother…" she grimaced.

Barry walked onto the platform, finishing his banana before tossing the peel away. "After this, I'll show you my moves." He said with what he presumed was a flirtatious smile.

"You're gonna pick that up, right?" Keemia deadpanned, pointing at the banana peel, while Canary simply gave Barry a smirk. A dangerous, confident, and downright malicious smirk.

She nodded to him briefly before immediately going on the offensive, throwing a punch at his face. Barry dodged carefully, before blocking her punch with his arm. However, that was only a ploy as she quickly swung low, kicking his legs out from under him with a powerful sweeping kick.

Barry yelled out in surprise before hitting the ground hard. His teammates winced slightly, while Keemia just watched with a grin. "Ha!" she laughed before taking another sip of her drink.

"Ow… hurts so good." He said painfully, as a sign flashed, pointing at Barry, with the word 'Fail' emblazoned in big red letters on it.

"Good block," Canary complimented, before helping him up. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"

"Ooh, ooh! He hit on teacher and got served?" Robin asked with a smirk as he and Keemia exchanged a high-five.

"Dude!" Barry hissed in embarrassment.

Canary rolled her eyes slightly before explaining. "He allowed me to dictate the terms of—"

"Oh please." Superboy scoffed, cutting her off. "With my powers, the battle's always on my terms. I'm a living weapon, and this is a waste of my time."

"Prove it," Canary said defiantly. At her declaration, the rest of the team each took a nervous step back. They all knew what Canary was like when she was in serious combat. Nothing short of Superboy's durability would keep him safe.

Superboy regarded her curiously before stepping onto the platform. The two sized each other up before getting into ready stances. Then, Superboy threw the first punch, aiming for her face. Canary side-stepped easily, grabbing his arm before throwing him over her shoulder and to the floor with his own momentum from the swing.

The red "Fail" sign flashed beneath him, as Tim let loose a short laugh. However, he was silenced quickly by Keemia, who elbowed him with a glare.

Superboy seethed before standing up again, his teeth bared dangerously as his anger grew to dangerous levels. "You're angry. Good. But don't react." Canary said carefully. "Channel that anger into—"

Superboy gave a roar of defiance before launching towards her again, his fist poised to strike at her. His anger and brashness left him open and sloppy however, as Canary easily flipped over him before using another sweeping kick to drop him to the floor, much like she did earlier with Barry.

Once more the red "Fail" sign flashed, and once more Robin's laughter was stifled by someone's elbow. Only this time it was Kaldur. M'Gann, Barry, and Ashley all watched Superboy nervously as he stood back up, swatting Canary's hand aside as she tried to help him up.

"That's it. I'm done." He growled out.

"Training is mandatory." Black Canary reminded him before a sudden alert rang out, and a holoscreen appeared, showing Batman's face.

"Batman to the cave," he announced, calling everyone's attention as they moved in to look at the screen. "Five hours ago, a new yet familiar menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary." He began, calling up video surveillance of the incident. "The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents."

True to his word, the surveillance showed a large android easily fighting numerous members of the League as it caught Superman out of the air before using him as a club to strike both Red Tornado and the Flash. "Arrow called in for reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant." The footage continued, showing Salamandra and even Sandman being easily knocked away by the android.

"Whoa… one guy with the powers of the entire League?" Barry asked nervously before Batman continued.

"In the end, it took eleven Leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android." Batman finished.

"An android? Who made it, T.O. Morrow?" Tim asked curiously, referencing Red Tornado's villainous creator.

"Good guess Robin, but Red Tornado doesn't think so," Batman said.

"It is far more likely that this android was made by my own creator, using updated blueprints that were once used to create me." A new voice called before a seven-foot-tall golden robot entered the room. His body was very plain but appeared malleable, and the only face he was were the two bronze eyes that stared out of his face.

"Whoa… you're the original Amazo. The one that left the Earth to travel galaxies… the one who moved Oa to a pocket dimension!" Keemia said in awe as the team looked to the android nervously.

"Indeed, I am. I am also however, the Amazo who currently is travelling the world with the Shade, looking for someone important." Amazo confirmed.

"You mean…?"

"Yes I do. But no… we have not found him yet." He said as Keemia nodded sadly. The other members of the team looked at her with worry, while Ace felt a great deal of sadness and hopelessness coming from her. However, Martian Manhunter broke the mood.

"As Amazo has suggested, the technology does bear the signature of Professor Ivo."

"Ivo? But Ivo's dead." Aqualad said in surprise.

"So we all thought… or hoped." Canary frowned, confirming their suspicions.

"Last I checked, Ivo was just a frail old man, who didn't want to hurt anybody. Luthor forced him to build Amazo." Barry frowned.

"We all thought so. It was a brilliant ruse. He's not even that old." Salamandra frowned, folding her arms.

"To make certain that this threat is permanently neutralized, we're sending two trucks carrying the parts of this Amazo 2, to two separate S.T.A.R. Labs facilities in Boston and New York, for immediate evaluation. Every precaution is being taken." Batman explained, showing a projected planned path for the convoys. "We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams, to safeguard the two real trucks."

"Yes! Road trip!" Barry exclaimed while Keemia finished her drink before turning to Ace.

"Looks like you're gonna be in the field after all." She said with a grin as the shorter girl nodded slightly.

"Y-yeah. My first real mission." She said quietly, although there was no mistaking the small sense of excitement in her voice.

"So now we take out your trash?" Superboy asked, clearly not as happy with the mission as the others were.

"You had something better to do?" Batman countered, as Superboy simply slumped slightly in defeat.

Kaldur looked at a small device in his hand before nodding to the others. "Coordinates received. On our way." He said before leading the others off to the hangar. Superboy, however, was stopped by Black Canary. He turned to look at her, a frown still etched on his face.

"When you're ready, I'll be here." She said. Despite his anger, he seemed to almost calm down a little. However, he was still quick to leave the cave.

* * *

 **Litchfield County – August 3** **rd** **, 20:08 EDT**

Near what appeared to be a massive crater hewn into the cornfields next to the highway, were six armoured vehicles. Each of them were surrounded not only by military police, but also by several members of the Justice League. They were all present to ensure that the pieces of the Amazo 2 robot were safely loaded onto the two trucks while still surrounded by the decoys.

Nearby, hidden in the bushes, were the members of the Team. Each of them wore leather biker armour, waiting on their motorcycles for when they could move out. All except for Keemia, who was off to the side talking with her father.

"I'm worried about Superboy." She said quietly, checking to make sure the clone wasn't listening in. "Superman's been doing everything in his power to avoid him, and it's taking a serious toll on him."

"I've noticed, trust me. Batman's looking to call an intervention soon. He'll try on his own first, but if not… we'll call in reinforcements." Flint sighed, before casting a sidelong glance at Clark. The older Kryptonian was using his x-ray vision to look through the bushes at where the team was preparing to leave. As soon as Superboy noticed him, Clark looked away.

"We need to do something sooner though. Superboy really needs an adult in his life." Keemia frowned.

"He needs a father. An actual attentive father." Flint agreed, before folding his arms. "I'll see what I can do, and I should have something by the time the delivery is complete. But for now, you better get to your bike."

"Right. See you later tonight then." She nodded before putting her helmet on and walking to her bike. While everyone wore the same type of armour, each one had different splashes of colour to differentiate them. Keemia's, in particular, had a purple stripe running vertically down each of her arms, along with a purple Alchemic circle on her back.

She mounted her bike, before nodding to Kaldur that she was ready. The six trucks finished loading the android before their doors shut and they started their engines. "S.T.A.R. Boston is a go." One of the drivers announced before another nodded.

"S.T.A.R. Manhattan is a go." He called before all the trucks immediately began driving off to their intended destinations. As soon as the trucks were all on the road, the team moved out, splitting into two teams as they followed their intended targets. Djinn, Ace, Robin, and Superboy made one team, while Aqualad had Kid Flash and Miss Martian as his convoy.

Once the trucks were safely out of sight, the Leaguers all started to leave. Superman was about to leave as well before Batman held him back with a hand on his shoulder. Clark looked back to Batman with a small frown, both dreading and anticipating the conversation that was coming.

"I told you, we need to talk," Batman said seriously.

* * *

A few hours into the drive, and the decoy trucks had finally broken away from the convoys. Now, Keemia's squad continued their journey south towards Boston. Superboy had pulled into the lead, but Robin was quick to move in alongside him.

"If dislike is the opposite of like, is disaster the opposite of aster?" the Boy Wonder asked, while Keemia rolled her eyes and Ace simply looked confused. "See, instead of things going wrong, they go right."

"Great, he found another word to butcher mercilessly." Keemia sighed as Ace shot her a brief look of confusion.

"Does he do that often?" she asked.

"All the damn time. Get used to hearing aster now. He'll probably use it as often as he uses whelmed." Keemia grimaced.

"Whelmed?" Ace repeated in confusion.

"You don't wanna know." Keemia finished.

Robin meanwhile, looked at their silent Kryptonian teammate with a frown. "Uh, clearly you're not feeling the aster. What's wrong?"

"Canary," Superboy said simply. "And what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super-strength?"

"Well, she is one of the greatest hand-to-hand combatants on Earth for starters," Keemia muttered, rolling her eyes while Superboy simply scowled at that.

"Taking down stronger guys is a part of the gig. Canary learned that the hard way early on. Same with Batman and, well… me." Robin explained.

Superboy's scowl deepened before he raced off ahead of the others to get closer to the truck. Keemia watched him speed off before grimacing. "I think he's upset about more than just Canary."

* * *

Meanwhile, following the northbound truck, M'Gann rode in a tight v-formation with Kaldur and Barry close by her. "Do you think Superboy's okay? I wasn't reading his mind, I swear, but anger flowed off of him in waves." She said, very clearly distressed and worried over their teammate.

"Surf that wave, just give him space." Barry reasoned, moving up alongside her. From under the visor of his helmet he gave a flirtatious grin as he leaned closer to her. "Me? Stick as close as you want."

Both M'Gann and Kaldur rolled their eyes at Barry's attempt before Kaldur looked at his Martian teammate. "Superboy just needs time to cool off. A quiet mission will clear his head." He advised sagely. However, none of the three noticed the corn stalks along the highway behind them rustling once they drove past.

Just seconds after they drove by, dozens of flying robotic monkeys leapt from the grass before they immediately went in pursuit of the truck. They quickly caught up before latching onto the vehicle as it moved, attempting to break inside. However, they appeared to care little for the heroes who followed the truck.

Kaldur looked at the monkeys in brief surprise before pressing a finger to his communicator. "Djinn, Robin, our truck is under attack!"

* * *

"Y'know, I had a feeling it was." Keemia grimaced from her end, as several robot monkeys had attacked their own van. "But seriously, would it hurt Ivo to be serious for once in his life?"

Superboy looked at the truck with undisguisable disdain, as his scowl deepened. "I hate monkeys."

Several of the monkeys immediately crawled onto the windshield of the truck before attempting to break the glass, while more assaulted the windows, attempting to attack the driver. The distraction caused the driver to suddenly veer off course, and start swerving all over the road.

"Robot Monkeys! Ha! Totally Ivo's tweaked style." Robin grinned before putting his bike into battle mode. The front wheel pulled back into the bike to shift the centre of balance, while the back wheel ejected and turned into a drone, which immediately moved in to provide aerial support.

"His style is bad and he should feel bad!" Keemia countered before she moved alongside the truck to try and steer it back on the road with her magic. Ace meanwhile, focused her telekinesis to try and keep the truck still, idly tossing monkeys off of the sides when they became too numerous.

"Hey Superboy, switch into battle mode!" Keemia said before gesturing to the truck.

"No point." He said, shaking his head before leaping off of his bike and onto the roof of the truck, where he immediately began to attack the robots. His bike almost immediately fell over before skidding back down the road.

"So not feeling the aster." Robin grimaced before leaping off of his vehicle and using his grapple to jump on the back of the truck, kicking a monkey off as he did so. Superboy's bike immediately crashed into Robin's, sending both bikes into a tumbling pile of scrap metal.

This pile was quickly advancing on Ace, who strafed on her bike to avoid it before grasping chunks of the metal with her telekinesis and flinging them into several of the monkeys that were still airborne. The effect was instantaneous as several were knocked from the sky or impaled by the debris.

"You okay there Ace?" Keemia called out, before aiming a hand at some of the monkeys. " **Lortnoc tla eteled** " she spoke as four of the monkeys instantly seized and fell on the road uselessly. However, she soon had to move on the defence, conjuring a barrier to prevent more of the monkeys from attacking her.

"Yeah I'm fine." The telepath nodded. "Heck of a first mission though."

"Yeah, flying robot monkeys. And of course they have to laugh too! Why do they have to laugh too?!" Keemia scowled before flinging numerous fireballs at any that got too close to her.

Superboy, meanwhile, removed his helmet, using it as a club to beat away several of the monkeys before he was suddenly swarmed by them. His super strength proved to be an invaluable asset to him as he crushed and tore through them easily.

Tim used some of his batarangs for a better hold onto the truck to start fighting back, relying on his legs to kick them away as he tried to climb the side. His drone flew nearby, firing lasers to help keep the monkeys off of his back, however, two more of the monkeys jumped on the drone, knocking it from the sky.

Superboy was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the monkeys, and as such his movements became more erratic and frenzied. The monkeys were quick to take advantage of his now sloppy movements, as they stayed out of range, instead pestering him with their lasers. Superboy lashed out, grasping one tightly as he squeezed its body to crush it. However, he neglected to incapacitate the head, as two laser fired from the monkey's eyes, grazing Superboy's own.

Superboy cried out in pain as his eyes were burned, disorienting him enough that several of the monkeys could grab onto him before they flew off of the truck with him in tow. Then, once they were above the road, they unceremoniously dropped him to the pavement as he was sent tumbling back down the highway.

Despite not having the use of his eyes, Superboy was quick to stand up, instead using his hearing to hone in on the monkeys. Given their incessant laughter, that proved quite simple as he soon leapt after the truck to continue the fight.

* * *

Aqualad pulled one of his water bearers from the side of his bike, before conjuring a massive whip to hack and slash at the monkeys' attack on their own truck. However, a few of the monkeys chose to attack his teammates' transport forcing both to abandon their bikes. M'Gann took to the air, while Barry simply kept pace on foot with little trouble.

Inside the truck, the driver panicked at the sudden attack, screaming for help while the monkeys on the roof used their lasers to cut their way inside the truck. The guards inside tried to fend them off with gunfire, however for every monkey they struck, three more were there to take their place as they began to rapidly flood the interior of the vehicle.

M'Gann moved in quickly, using her telekinesis to fling them away while Barry ran alongside, throwing off any monkeys that had grabbed the side of the truck. Kaldur covered their rear, trying to keep the robots from getting inside the cargo door of the truck. Their numerous opponents were making this task quite difficult as they opted to swarm everything in sight.

Several of them had grabbed on to M'Gann, forcing the Martian girl to use her shapeshifting abilities rather creatively, as she grew new arms to grasp and attack the endless horde of robots that attacked her. Once she was free, she made quick work of the monkeys on the windshield in order to help the panicked driver inside, before landing on the roof where she met up with Barry, who ran up the side of the truck and onto the roof.

Seeing the Martian girl with four extra limbs having sprouted out from all over her body caused the speedster to scream in panic as he stumbled back. M'Gann had much the same reaction to the surprise off Barry's rushed entrance, unconsciously retracting her new arms. However, their arrival was too late as dozens of monkeys spilled out of the hole in the roof of the truck, while even more cut the cargo door open with their lasers before they all flew off with the android pieces in their possession.

Aqualad saw their escape and immediately strafed to a stop on his bike while M'Gann and Barry forced the truck driver to stop his vehicle. The team's leader watched the retreating monkeys with a frown as he removed his helmet. He hoped Keemia's team was doing better.

* * *

"God they just keep coming!" Keemia shouted as even more monkeys leapt onto her bike, attempting to knock her off, their chatter growing louder and even more mocking in her ear. "Ugh, _SHUT UP!_ " she yelled before pressing a hand to her motorcycle. " **Ekib og moob!** " she cast before taking to the air and using her magic to fly. The bike immediately exploded, destroying several of the monkeys and scattering their pieces across the highway.

Robin had finally managed to climb onto the roof of the truck however, and drew his Bo staff, extending it before engaging the monkeys again. His natural acrobatic prowess allowed him to easily leap around them nimbly, as he swatted them aside, completely destroying them. When the monkeys attempted to regroup behind him, they were soon met by two Kryptonian feet as Superboy landed on top of the truck again after his latest leap across the countryside.

The monkeys had apparently had enough however, as they opted to destroy the tires on the side of the truck, causing the vehicle to swerve dangerously. Robin immediately leaned in front of the windshield before giving the driver one stern order: "Get out!"

Not wanting to take any risks the driver did as he was told and opened the door before Robin grabbed him and the two safely leapt into the cornfield next to the road. The truck continued to swerve before finally rolling onto its side, becoming a tumbling mass of metal. Keemia saw the truck tumbling towards her and growled angrily. "Oh for fu—" she started before the truck knocked her off of the road and into the grass as it finally rolled to a stop on top of Superboy. The cargo door burst open soon after as the monkeys escaped with the rest of the androids pieces.

Their laughter faded into the distance as Robin pulled the driver out of the cornfield and laid him down on the road. Ace stopped just ahead of him before getting off of her bike and moving to where Keemia was sent flying.

"Djinn, you okay?" she asked her first friend, as the young sorceress groaned painfully.

" **Laeh ym seirujni.** " She cast with a hoarse voice as her body glowed briefly. When the glow subsided, so did her pain as she got back up on her feet before nodding to Ace. "Yeah, I'm fine. Wish I could say the same for the truck though." She sighed before Superboy lifted the truck off of his body, throwing it away.

The clone's vision was finally returning to him as the burns finished healing, in time to see the monkeys flying off into the distance. He gave a growl before leaping after them.

"Superboy!" Robin called after him as Keemia scowled.

"Oh come on!" she yelled in exasperation before receiving a call from Kaldur. "Aqualad to Djinn, we've lost our cargo. Did you—"

"It's gone… and so is our resident clone." She scowled before calling Superboy. "Djinn to Superboy, radio your position so we can help you with the pursuit."

"I don't need help! I don't want any!" he yelled in the communicator before destroying it as he continued leaping after the monkeys.

"Superboy! Superboy, do you copy!" Keemia called again, before switching to Kaldur. "He's destroyed his comm."

"Super, now we can't even track him," Barry said snidely, while M'Gann tried to focus her telepathy.

"He's out of my telepathic range." She sighed. "And this Professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us… Maybe… we should contact Red Tornado?"

"Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves." Kaldur disagreed, shaking his head. "And this mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled."

"Well that's a great plan, except for the part about us not knowing where to look!" Barry said with a frown.

"Always got something positive to say, don't you Barry?" Keemia scoffed. "Can't you stick to flirtatious banter and stupid jokes?" she asked with a sigh before Robin cupped his chin in thought.

"Actually, we might know where to look after all." He suggested before plugging a wire into the remains of one of the monkeys and calling up his holoscreen. "We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked. So how did these monkeys know exactly which trucks to target?"

"Oh my god…" Keemia muttered as the realization dawned on her. Robin meanwhile, got the answers he was looking for.

"Ha! The parts have GPS!" he said triumphantly. "The monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one I captured."

"Maybe we should invest in giving Superboy one of those tracking chips." Ace mused.

"Was that a joke I heard? You're already fitting in." Keemia laughed. "I think he'd scratch it out though. Or else bite it off."

Robin ignored his teammates banter as he continued to study the path of the monkeys. "It looks like both sets of parts are converging on… Gotham City?" he said in surprise.

"That far south? Megan and I won't get there anytime soon." Kaldur sighed before turning to Barry. "I'm sending Kid on ahead to meet you. Aqualad out."

The speedster nodded with a grin before fastening his goggles and immediately running off towards Gotham. Robin meanwhile, stood with the monkey before finding the remains of his bike. Miraculously, it was unharmed from its crash. "I'll have to meet up with Barry since I got the GPS signal."

"In that case, I'll go with you for extra muscle, in case Ivo has any other equally stupid surprises." Keemia nodded, looking to Ace. "Ace, take your bike and meet with Kaldur and M'Gann. Your telepathy should help boost M'Gann's own range. We'll all rendezvous in Gotham after."

"You got it." The shorter girl said before getting on her bike and riding off to meet their teammates.

Keemia watched her ride off before looking to Robin with a light chuckle. "I think we're doing okay with our little disaster here." She joked before looking to Robin. "Ready to head out?"

"Yep." He nodded before giving another sigh. "Definitely a disaster though. Heavy on the dis."

* * *

 **Metropolis – August 3** **rd** **, 21:18 EDT**

Superman had been dreading this conversation with Batman ever since it was first brought up earlier that morning. The dark knight detective was hostile at the best of times, and only ever reserved these private conversations should someone make what he determined to be a large mistake. He had heard from several Leaguers about how Batman had berated them over mistakes. Booster Gold, in particular, received his fair share, as did Guy Gardner, the latest Green Lantern of Earth to join the League.

However, what Superman was unsure of was exactly what he had done to warrant such a conversation. Granted, he had some suspicions, but Bruce was notorious for how secretive he could be. The two had decided to don their normal civilian wear and to head for a small café near the Metropolis waterfront for their discussion.

Clark was adamant about going to Bibbo's Diner. Bibbo Bibbowski was a longtime friend of his, and while he may spend more time at his beloved Ace O' Clubs bar than the diner, Bibbo still somehow knew just when Clark would come to the diner, and made sure to be present for him. It was no surprise then that Bibbo was among those to know Clark's secret.

"Apple pie," Clark ordered politely, setting his menu down before the waiter turned to look at Bruce for his own order.

"The Devil's food," Bruce said with a smile before the waiter took their menus and walked to the kitchen. Bruce always had a knack for the billionaire philanthropist disguise. If it weren't for his career as Batman, you'd almost think his smile was his natural face.

"Something tells me this isn't about dessert," Clark said with a light chuckle, trying to keep the conversation light in case the discussion proved to one of dire importance. It always helped when things were less stressful.

Bruce's smile disappeared and his face suddenly took a serious edge. "The boy needs you." The billionaire said simply, referring to Superboy.

"No, he needs you. He needs Red." Clark protested, clearly uncomfortable with what Bruce was suggesting. "I'm just a constant reminder of what he's not."

"Sorry Clark, but you're dead wrong." Bruce disagreed. It was clear to the detective that Clark was stalling, not wanting to give up the real reason for his discomfort. But Bruce decided to put that aside for now. He needed to make sure the seriousness of the situation was made plain to Clark. "Look, I know he troubles you. But he's here. You have to get over the how and why." He continued, as the reporter looked both uncomfortable and contemplative at what he was saying. "Trust me on this. This boy needs his father."

"I'm not his father!" Clark countered, standing up suddenly before looking through the window to the kitchen where Bibbo was watching expectantly. "I'll take that pie to go."

Bibbo nodded at his friend before turning away with a frown. He may now know what was going on, but he knew that Clark was once again too headstrong to be moved on the issue.

As Clark left to pay for his pie, Bruce frowned, watching the reporter carefully as he pulled out a phone, dialling a number.

" _Hey Bruce, how'd it go?"_ Flint's voice answered.

"Not well. We might need a more… formal intervention style for this." Bruce said, making sure Clark wasn't listening in on him. Thankfully, he was too distracted talking to Bibbo.

" _I was worried about that. My backup plan is set to go, did you still want me to bring Karen in for this?_ "

"Yes I would." Bruce nodded, having been informed by Flint about a plan he had for Superboy in case Clark refused to be reasonable on the issue. "This might not happen for a while yet, we'll need to give him time to adjust to the new surroundings. However, I'll want you there as well moving forwards."

" _You got it. Keep me posted Bruce._ " Flint finished before hanging up.

* * *

 **Gotham City – August 3** **rd** **, 21:21 EDT**

Just outside the city and rapidly rolling down the tracks was a large freight train. The monkeys carrying the crates that held Amazo 2's remains approached the train before one of the cars slid open, allowing them inside. Once inside, they shut the door behind them. However, Superboy was not far behind, as with one last great leap, he landed on the roof of their car before tearing the roof open and jumping inside.

He looked around the car curiously, before the chatter of the monkeys brought his attention forward, seeing a small group of them crowded around a rather short man. He was thin, and his red hair was rapidly greying, but he still had a bemused energy in his eyes. He wore a white shirt and jeans, with a green sweater vest and red bowtie.

He looked at Superboy curiously before fixing him a grin. "Oh, hello." He greeted cheerfully while Superboy just looked at him with mild disappointment.

"You? You're Ivo?" Superboy asked. "I'm whelmed."

"You're one to talk," Ivo replied jovially, before turning to face him. "Now, since when does the big blue boy scout have a brat?"

"He doesn't." the clone scowled.

Ivo simply shrugged at that. "If you say so." He said before gesturing to the robots around him. "Have you met my Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrators?" he asked as the aforementioned M.O.N.Q.I.s immediately flew at Superboy to attack him.

This time, the clone was ready for the annoying robots, as he quickly and efficiently destroyed them with ease. One of the heads of the destroyed M.O.N.Q.I.s rolled to Ivo's feet as its chattering laughter slowly died. Ivo sighed, shaking his head. "And after all; the trouble I went through finding an acronym for M.O.N.Q.I."

Superboy smirked in triumph, thinking he had the scientist trapped before another voice could be heard. " _Access: Captain Atom._ " It said, its voice clearly synthesized, before a massive beam of energy struck Superboy in the chest, sending him flying through several crates until he hit the wall.

Ivo smirked, standing over the fallen clone as Superboy slowly tried to stand. "Since Professor Ivo's magnificent M.O.N.Q.I.s don't float your boat, maybe my amazing Amazo 2 will better suit you." He mused as the now fully reassembled Amazo 2 walked up behind his creator. "Or… better slay you."

Superboy looked at the robot, wiping a spot of blood from his lips before he stood up defiantly. "Give me your best shot."

The M.O.N.Q.I.s laughed, almost like they were mocking the clone, while Ivo stifled his own laughter. "Please. My android has the strength of Superman, what chance do you have?" he scoffed. Superboy growled dangerously in response before rushing at Amazo 2, attempting to strike it with a powerful punch.

Amazo 2 was quick to respond as it countered every blow Superboy attempted to land, easily blocking and redirecting every one of Superboy's punches. The clone would not be deterred though as he struck harder and faster, looking for an opening, until he struck the android across the face, quite literally turning its head around from the force of the blow.

Amazo 2 was unfazed by the blow as his head returned to its normal position, apparently unharmed, before catching Superboy's next punch tightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did that strike a nerve?" Ivo asked with a mocking laugh. "Amazo 2, strike a few more."

The android immediately complied as he punched Superboy hard enough that the clone hit the ceiling, before falling back down onto more crates, breaking them from the force of the impact. Superboy slowly stood again, shaking a little on his feet, before the android spoke. " _Access: Black Canary._ " It said before its mouth split open and it emitted a shrill, supersonic scream. Superboy grasped his head painfully as the force of the sonic waves knocked him across the train car.

" _Access: Flash._ " The android said before closing the distance to his opponent and delivering several dozen powerful punches and kicks. Superboy collapsed on the floor again as Ivo sighed in disappointment.

"Oh no wonder daddy keeps you hidden away. You're not really doing justice to the old S shield, are you?" the scientist asked with a cruel laugh.

Superboy lashed out again in anger, as the android countered again. " _Access: Martian Manhunter._ " It said before using intangibility to avoid the blow as Superboy's own momentum set him off balance. " _Access: Salamandra._ " It said before its right fist was engulfed in fire and he punched Superboy again, sending the clone flying out of the train car, and onto the next one that was carrying a bulldozer.

Superboy collided with the bulldozer painfully, before the android leapt out after him, grasping him by the throat. " _Access: Superman._ " It spoke before punching Superboy with a wicked haymaker, sending the clone flying for a few miles until he crashed through the windows of Gotham Academy, colliding with the desks of a classroom inside until he came to a stop.

Amazo watched from the train before turning to Ivo, awaiting instruction. Ivo seemed to think for a moment before shrugging. "Finish him. Priority alpha." He ordered before the Android flew after the clone.

* * *

"So, do you have any problem with me killing him once we find him?" Keemia asked Robin as the two sped along the road, entering Gotham City limits. Robin rode on his bike, still in battle mode (albeit without the now destroyed drone), while Keemia simply flew alongside him with her magic. "I mean, he disobeyed orders, and Kaldur made me in charge of discipline."

"Unofficially. You're unofficially in charge of discipline." Robin pointed out.

"Unofficially yes. But I still am." She frowned. "Which reminds me, I still need to discipline you for your horrible butchering of the English language."

"I am not butchering the English language!" he defended. "I am rediscovering what are clearly base words lost to time."

"There's a reason they were lost Pigeon." She sighed before Barry suddenly sped to catch up with them.

"You changed too?" Robin asked, gesturing to how he, Keemia, and Barry were all in their usual uniforms as opposed to their biker uniforms.

"You kidding? I feel naked in civvies." The speedster retorted.

"Please do not mention you being naked in my presence again." Keemia scowled.

"What's the matter? The thought overwhelming you?" he grinned.

"Ew, no." she gagged before focusing on the road ahead.

Barry rolled his eyes before looking at Robin. "Still tracking the parts?"

"They were heading through Gotham, but they veered," Robin said, looking at the screen on his bike he was using to track the parts. He saw the path they were following before looking at Kid Flash in surprise. "Wait… dude, they're at my school!"

"We have to go to your school for this now?" Keemia asked. "I should check your English grades while we're there. I need to know now if your merciless butchering of language has affected those too."

* * *

Inside Gotham Academy, there were numerous glass cabinets prominently displaying the numerous awards and accolades won by the students who attended. Several of these included trophies and ribbons for academic excellence won by one Tim Drake, pictured holding a trophy he won from an academic decathlon the year before.

Unfortunately, this cabinet was swiftly destroyed by Superboy's body as the Amazo 2 android had finally caught up with the clone, resuming their fight. Superboy groaned painfully, laying limply among the broken glass before the android picked him up again, and threw him down the hallway to his left.

He collided with several lockers before hitting the ground painfully. This time, however, he was quick to stand up, grasping one of the open locker doors for support. One of the notes inside the locker caught his eye, as he looked to see a picture of Superman. However it was surrounded by numerous pink hearts, clearly owned by someone with a crush on the Man of Steel.

Superboy growled, punching the door off of its hinges before running at Amazo 2 again. The android countered him blow for blow, sending the clone flying through numerous walls until he crashed into the chemistry lab. Superboy looked at the android standing over him before getting a second wind. "That all you got…?" he asked weakly.

He soon got his answer.

" _Access: Sandman._ " It said before forming a massive mace and sending Superboy through yet another wall, this time, knocking the clone into the gym. He fell to and rolled along the floor, before hearing the faint sound of someone clapping. Looking up, he saw Ivo, having caught up with them as he sat in the bleachers with his two remaining M.O.N.Q.I.s.

"I don't usually attend these things in person, but this was too good to miss." He smirked before Amazo 2 arrived.

" _Access: Superman._ " It spoke, before looking at Superboy expectantly.

For what felt like the millionth time that night, Superboy and the android once again started an exchange of blows. While Superboy wasn't nearly as naïve to the android's capabilities as he was when he entered the fight, the difference in power was still staggering, as Amazo 2 quite literally pushed him around, repeatedly slapping and kicking the clone.

As Superboy was sent crashing to the ground again, the android raised his arms, preparing to bring them down on the clone with a decisive blow. However, Kid Flash arrived, speeding in and grabbing his teammate. "Yoink!" he said before pulling the clone out of danger as Amazo 2's fists struck the floor instead. He ran to the other side of the bleachers, where Robin and Djinn were waiting for them to check on Superboy.

"That was way too close." Keemia grimaced as Kid Flash set Superboy down on the ground.

"Why don't we just call the original Amazo to help?" Barry suggested.

"Do you really want the robot with the ability to move a _planet_ with his mind, near a robot that can copy any power near him?" she scoffed.

"Hey, to be fair, the original could do that too." Barry shrugged before Robin threw a batarang at the advancing Amazo 2.

" _Access: Martian Manhunter._ " It said as the projectile flew through its head harmlessly. " _Access: Red Tornado._ " It said before rushing at them with a whirlwind ready to strike them.

" **Etapissid eht dniw!** " Keemia cast hastily, stopping the wind, but not stopping the android's momentum as it flew toward them.

" _Access: Salamandra._ " It spoke before punching her with a flame-covered fist. Keemia cried out in pain as she was sent across the gym before impacting with the bleachers painfully. Once she was sent flying, the android immediately knocked Kid Flash, Superboy, and Robin away, sending them scattering across the gym from his blows.

Barry stood up quickly, seeing the android advancing on him. " _Access: Captain Atom._ " It spoke before firing a beam of energy at the young speedster. Barry was quick to dodge though, rushing around behind the bleachers before attempting to attack again from behind. The android turned, expecting the speedster. " _Access: Black Canary._ " It said before firing a supersonic wave, sending Kid Flash flying backwards.

"Ugh, why couldn't it choose to access someone like Flatman?" Keemia groaned standing again before removing her gloves and focusing on the floor below the android. The alchemic circles on her hands glowed before the wood rapidly eroded and deteriorated, collapsing beneath the weight of the android.

" _Access: Red Tornado._ " The android said before flying on another tornado, using the wind to fling some of the boards at Keemia.

She raised her hands in front of her as the tattoos glowed again, transmuting the boards harmlessly into ashes as they blew past her before smirking. "Let's try this one." She decided before pointing at the air in front of her, igniting the oxygen much like Shimmer did when they fought.

The android simply choked the fire, blowing the explosion away harmlessly before using the wind to draw the oxygen away from Keemia. The girl clutched her throat, struggling to breathe before the android suddenly stopped, sensing something approaching. " _Access: Superman._ " It said, before catching the fist of Superboy, who was now back in the fight, before punching him away.

The clone landed on the bleachers behind Robin before the Boy Wonder threw numerous explosive discs at the android. " _Access: Martian Manhunter._ " Amazo 2 said again, before stretching its arms to swat the discs away as they exploded harmlessly behind him. It then followed up, attempting to strike Robin, as the nimbler hero dove out of the way.

Kid Flash rushed back in, attempting to strike Amazo 2 again, only for the android to catch him and wrap the speedster in a tight bear hug. " _Access: Superman._ " It said before using enhanced strength to start crushing him. Before it could get too far, it suddenly turned its head. " _Martian Manhunter._ " It said before going intangible to avoid an arrow that flew at his head, dropping Barry in the process, as the arrow embedded in the floor next to Robin.

Superboy ran out from the hole his impact with the bleachers made before Amazo 2 countered yet another one of his blows. " _Access: Black Canary._ " It said before catching Superboy and throwing him over his shoulders, and into the bleachers directly across from Ivo, the irony not being lost on the young heroes.

However, it wasn't quite done yet. " _Superman._ " It spoke before copying the Man of Steel's heat vision and firing multiple beams at Robin and Kid Flash. Keemia dove in the way, trying to block some with a shield, however, they still singed her hand, causing her to cry out in pain as Robin and Kid Flash moved to help her.

Superboy stood up, looking around the gym and seeing the android watching his teammates carefully, while Keemia shakily healed her hand with another spell. His mind wandered back to when the android threw him only seconds before as he remembered the choice of ability. "Access: Black Canary…" he muttered before Ivo sighed loudly.

"Oh, yawn." The inventor said in disinterest. "Normally Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point? Aside from the sorceress, you're all such poor copies of the originals."

Superboy smirked at that, a plan forming as he focused on Ivo. "So everyone keeps saying. It makes me angry!" he yelled before leaping across to the inventor. Ivo only barely avoided him as Superboy landed on the last two M.O.N.Q.I.s and crushed them with ease.

"Oh god, he's gone rabid," Keemia muttered as the three heroes turned to watch. Even Amazo 2 stopped what he was doing to see the clone attacking Ivo.

"Want to see me channel that anger?!" Superboy yelled as Kid Flash grimaced.

"Yep, he's ballistic again." He said before Robin cupped his chin in thought.

"Maybe not…"

"A-Amazo, protect your master! Priority alpha!" Ivo said nervously, scrambling to get away from the now seemingly enraged Superboy, who missed yet another blow against the scientist.

" _Captain Atom._ " The android said before blasting the clone with another laser. However, as Ivo tried to stand, Robin made his move.

"Anyone want to play keep away?" Robin grinned before kicking Ivo across the floor.

"Ooh, me! Me!" Kid Flash grinned, rushing at the inventor. Amazo 2 simply narrowed his eyes.

" _Access:_ _Superman._ " The android said, before stomping on the ground to cause a shockwave that sent Kid Flash crashing to the ground.

"My turn! My turn!" Keemia laughed before flying at Ivo, only for the android to try punching her again. She ducked her head swiftly, narrowly avoiding the blow before Robin threw another batarang at Amazo 2.

" _Martian Manhunter_ ," the android said, the batarang flying through harmlessly much like the last one. As it did however, Superboy rushed in, swinging a punch at the android's head.

" _Superman._ " Amazo 2 said before turning solid again. However, Superboy's fist was still in the way as he did, causing the android to turn solid around his arm, destroying the cybernetics in its head. It sparked for a moment before exploding, sending Superboy flying back as the now headless android fell to the ground uselessly.

"Heh, now that's using your head." Keemia laughed, helping Superboy up.

"Help me disassemble him, now!" Robin said hurriedly, running over as Kid Flash shook his head.

"Dude, the guy has no head." The speedster pointed out.

"Don't take any chances!" Kaldur said, finally arriving with Miss Martian and Ace in tow. M'Gann immediately rushed over to where Superboy was. "Superboy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He nodded. "Feeling the aster." He said, looking to Robin as the Boy Wonder smirked.

"Oh god it's spreading." Keemia groaned as Ace walked to her.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked shyly.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Got burned, punched, and chocked… yep, just another day on the job." Keemia nodded before giving Ace a grin. "Thanks for checkin' though."

"Hey, where's Ivo?" Kid Flash asked before the team looked around in surprise. Somehow in the scuffle, the inventor had managed to escape without them noticing, leaving them behind in the remains of the gymnasium.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 4** **th** **, 01:06 EDT**

"The Amazo 2 android is in pieces again," Kaldur reported, the team standing behind him. Batman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Salamandra, and the original Amazo all stood to hear his report. "It is safely being analyzed at the two separate S.T.A.R. labs."

"I would like to put forward that I believe every fragment should be destroyed," Amazo said. "I was made with free will, and the capability to evolve, so I moved past the necessity for destruction. This… Amazo 2… was clearly made and programmed exclusively for such destruction."

"Be that as it may, the only scientist able to do so is Professor Ivo." Batman countered.

"But Ivo escaped." Aqualad reminded them. "And since he is free he may return for the android, or else construct another one."

"Capturing the professor will be a League priority." Black Canary answered while Martian Manhunter folded his arms.

"But we understand your mission encountered other complications." The older Martian said as Superboy looked away sheepishly.

"Complications come with the job," Batman said, walking towards them. "Your ability to handle them has impressed the League."

"The whole League?" Superboy asked hopefully.

"Given time, yes." Batman nodded, ever so slightly. "Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." He said, with just the faintest hint of a smirk. Superboy smiled at that, the good news definitely lifting his spirits.

"Of course, there's no shame in asking for help." Batman continued. "That's why the League exists, because there are some problems even we can't handle individually."

Robin scoffed at that. "Puh-lease! If we needed help, we'd never get the chance to ask. Look familiar?" He asked before pulling out the arrow that was fired at Amazo 2 during their fight. "Look familiar? You were following us! Babysitting! You still don't trust us!" He accused as Green Arrow stepped forward to examine the arrow curiously.

"We didn't follow you," Batman said as Green Arrow pulled out one of his own arrows for comparison. There was a very visible difference between the two.

"That's not your arrow…" Robin said in surprise before his eyes widened. "Then that means—"

"Speedy!" Barry said with a grin.

"He has our backs." Kaldur nodded.

"Nice to know those months of friendship weren't for nothing," Keemia said in relief.

Ollie continued to study the arrow Robin had showed him before Barry suddenly snatched it from his hand with a grin. "Souvenir!" the speedster said excitedly, while Batman and Green Arrow exchanged knowing looks behind their backs.

The team slowly started to dissipate, each moving to get home. As Ace walked off, Keemia would grasp her wrist gently to stop her. "Hey, in case I haven't said it yet, welcome to the team."

"Thanks. That means a lot." She nodded to her.

"We should totally hang out too. Outside the team I mean." Keemia continued.

"R-really? You mean it?" Ace asked in surprise.

"Totally! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yeah. I guess we are."

"Awesome! See you around then." Keemia grinned before walking off as Ace took the teleporter home. Once Ace was gone, Keemia walked back over to where Superboy had moved over to Black Canary. The blonde heroine looked at Superboy expectantly as the clone looked away almost nervously.

"I'm ready." He said, his voice coming out almost as a whisper.

"Good." Canary nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Because I'm here. We'll start the combat training again tomorrow. I expect you'll be there?"

"I will. Promise." He nodded before Canary departed with Green Arrow to go back to Star City.

Superboy watched them leave before hearing Keemia clearing her throat behind him. "Hey Superboy, you busy?"

"No, why?" the clone asked.

"Good, because I got something to ask you. And show you." She nodded before forming a large magic circle in front of them. " **Ekat su emoh** " she cast before conjuring a large portal that revealed a doorway on the other side. Keemia smirked before stumbling a little in fatigue, Superboy quick to catch her. "Thanks for the catch. Doing a spell like that can take a lot out of me given the distance. Now, shall we?" she grinned before stepping through the portal, Superboy close behind her.

Once they were through, the portal closed as Keemia opened the door in front of them. "Welcome to my humble abode." She greeted as Superboy looked around curiously.

"You brought me to your house?"

"Yep, she did." Flint nodded, appearing from around the corner, a drink in his hand. "Come on in, make yourself at home."

"Um, thanks…" Superboy, said awkwardly as Zatanna entered.

"You used a long distance transport spell again didn't you?" she said in an accusatory tone, looking at Keemia. Keemia at least had the decency to act sheepish. Key word being act.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's too much magical stress, and it can leave me drained. But it worked, didn't it?" Keemia pointed out, Z simply rolling her eyes before Flint put his arms around her.

"Now, Superboy, there's a reason we brought you here," Flint said as Superboy now looked at him with rapt attention. "I know that it's been a little hard for you, since you basically got nowhere to stay right now. Living in the cave can't be the most comfortable thing in the world." He started before looking at him seriously. "So we thought we'd make the offer for you to come and live with us."

"You want me to stay here? With you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yep. I figured you could use an actual home to stay in that wasn't just a hollow mountain." Keemia said with a smirk, her arms folded as she leaned on the counter.

"Now you don't have to accept, but we figured it might help if you had a family to stay with," Flint added. Superboy flinched slightly at the mention of family, before silently starting to consider their offer. After a few minutes, he nodded.

"Yeah… I'd like that. Thank you." He said graciously.

"Awesome! Now, come with me, I can show you where you'll sleep." Keemia said before dragging Superboy off to the guest room. "This'll be your new room. We can grab your stuff from the cave tomorrow. But there is one thing you're gonna need if you're staying here."

"What's that?" he asked.

"A name."

"A… name?" he repeated, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Yep. If you're gonna live here, we can't just call you Superboy, not with all the neighbours around us. Besides, if you're gonna go to school someday, you're gonna need a name." she reasoned.

"Makes sense…" he nodded slowly. "What should my name be then?"

Keemia thought for a moment before picking up a book of names and their meanings from her room, and gesturing to Superboy. "Give me one of your hairs."

"What?"

"Trust me! It'll help me find your perfect name," she said, holding her hand out expectantly. He carefully pulled one of his hairs before placing it in her hand. Her eyes glowed briefly before she clasped her hand around the hair, and placed it over the book. " **Eius nomen ad perfectum reperies.** " She cast in Latin as the book suddenly opened with the pages reputedly being turned back and forth from cover to cover. After a few seconds, she dropped the hair don the whirling pages before the pages stilled and the hair landed, pointing at the chosen name.

"Conner?" Superboy asked.

"Yep. It's an old Gaelic name, meaning strength. It also means hound, but I don't think that counts in this case." She chuckled as he grinned.

"Conner… I like it." He agreed.

"Then your name is Conner." She said definitively. "See you tomorrow then." She smiled before heading to the door.

"Wait, I wanted to ask you something…" Conner said as Keemia stopped, turning to face him.

"What is it?"

"When Amazo… the golden one I mean… came to the cave before the mission, he mentioned he was looking for someone that he had yet to find. And that made you upset. Who's he looking for?" Conner asked as Keemia's face fell. Her eyes seemed lifeless as she looked at the floor for a moment. After she had collected herself, she reached towards her room again before drawing a picture to them, holding it in front of Conner.

"This is Dr. Fate, a former member of the Justice League. He was the Sorcerer Supreme of this Earth and this dimension, as well as founder of the Dark Division." She said before waving her hand as the picture changed from the costumed version of Dr. Fate to his human guise. "But, he was also known as Kent Nelson. He was one of my mentors, and as far as I was concerned, he was also my uncle. And for the last year now, he's been missing."

"What happened to him?"

"We don't know." She sighed. "One day, he just, disappeared. He closed the Tower of Fate while it was empty, leaving the Helmet inside. After that, he hadn't been seen again. The Justice League, Dark Division, and Amazo have all been searching for him, to no avail."

Conner frowned at that, before walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find him… I'll help you find him."

She wiped away a stray tear that threatened to fall from her eyes before nodding gratefully. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

"Hey," he chuckled lightly. "What are friends for?"

* * *

 **And there you have it! Another chapter done!**

 **Surprised by some of the changes? I definitely had fun making it, especially choreographing the fights. Also, Ace has now been officially introduced to the team! But lo and behold, another team member is coming...**

 **And it seems that Kent Nelson is missing as well.**

 **Next time, on Alchemic Justice, the team might just have an Infiltrator with not one... but TWO new members?!**

 **The girl from CADMUS, finally comes out into the world!**

 **As always be sure to read and review!**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	6. Infiltrator

**Welcome back everybody, to another chapter of Alchemic Justice!**

 **First, let me start by getting the hype train rolling: We have a trailer for Young Justice Season 3!**

 **Go damn, did SDCC ever deliver when it came to DC Comics this year. So much good stuff. Aquaman, Shazam, and Titans all look fantastic! We got some set photos for WW84. More confirmations that Gail Simone will be continuing her Plastic Man run. It's just great all around. I'm excited to see what's in store. I gotta say though, for the YJ S3 trailer, I liked seeing Brick the most. I don't know why, but I just love this guy now. He deserves a medal for being the best antagonist in that show (and he's barely in it.). Like that damn grin from the trailer was absolutely perfect. He is my guy now.**

 **And with the hype train out of the way, let's continue with some reviews:**

 **rmarcano321: Well, Amazo 2 was always gonna be a shitty follow-up to the literal god that was Amazo. Supergirl will always be nice, and we always need more Bibbo Bibbowski. Seriously, we all need more Bibbowski in our lives. As for your questions, in order:**

 **\- Sandman: I loved his tenure as a hero and wanted it back. Damn Marvel for reverting to status quo out of fear. But at least the reversion gave us Keemia... about twenty years later... Salamandra: Nothing's really been done with her since her introduction. I just wanted to try something new with her. Ace: Is one of my favourite characters from the original Justice League show. Perfectly tragic, and a beautifully depressing ending. And the ideas I had for her sprang up since I started planning this sequel (and I've been planning it since "The Once and Future Thing Part 2" from Sandman Unlimited, so that's a long time).**

 **\- The only reference to that show so far is Keemia's outfit. Her appearance from that show is now her default civilian guise for Alchemic Justice. Nothing else from that show will be referenced because it is trash. I am sorry, but it's trash.**

 **\- Like, special plans for things they'll do? Because that's already a yes...**

 **\- Her dad is a hero now, and I wanted a sequel. It was a win-win situation for me.**

 **\- This one I don't really know why. It just clicked with me. I suppose before I even began Sandman Unlimited, I wanted the love-interest for my spin on this cliched story (Which... yeah there are a lot of these types of fics now. Granted most are dead fics, but still.) to be Zatanna. On top of that, The Incredible Muffin revealed that Zatanna was the original love interest for Ben 10 Unlimited, and so I decided "hey, I could do that!". Besides, her personality just gelled with Flint's so damn well.**

 **VladImpaler: Well, that's the end goal. I like to think Keemia would appreciate that reaction.**

 **Ronmr: It's magic my guy, it'll always troll the universe. And Keemia just LOVES to do that as well.**

 **HotRodimusMinor: Oi, I am not spoiling the future chapters here.**

 **MajorBrony95: Yeah, he's basically her brother now. Now since you mentioned Raven here, I have the opportunity to say this: My canon Titans team is made up of Nightwing, Tempest, Troia, Speedy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. These characters will not be joining the Young Justice team, with the exception of Speedy, but that's only due to the plot demanding it. I get asked this in PM all the time if I'll add anyone like Raven or Starfire, but the answer is no. They might cameo, but they won't join the team at all.**

 **darthwolf: Oh trust me, Pete will be bringing ALL the big guns for this (all two of them.)**

 **7-Eleventh: Are you referring to the circus episode from the end of Season 1? Because that's still a ways off. I don't even think I'll be adapting that episode either. Strange will not be appearing during the events of "Denial", and neither will Etrigan. Also, are you implying that this team of sorcerers made by Mordo appears during "Denial", or is that it's own episode? Or is that supposed to be a replacement for the episode where the world splits into two halves for adults and kids? It's just really unclear about that whole idea. Also, no that will not be happening in this fic. Mostly because there is no reason for it to happen. I have a plan for what will happen next. Just stick around and see.**

 **Celgress: Trust me, Mephisto isn't going anywhere near it.**

 **Lucian Naruto: Trust me though, if she found out, there would be no saving Clark from her tirade.**

 **Thanks again for all the reviews! I definitely appreciate them all, and I love reading them.**

 **The intro to this chapter will be featuring an Easter Egg from my childhood. And for anyone who grew up with the Discovery Channel, it will hopefully reignite your nostalgia as well.**

 **But now, time for the disclaimer: I own nothing but the original idea for this fic and its prequel. Keemia Marko and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros (With an extra surprise from Young Animal). The surprise guest this chapter is owned by Neil Gaiman. The Easter egg is owned by the Discovery Channel. Please support the official releases!**

 **And away we go!**

* * *

 **Infinity Island – August 7** **th** **, 23:49 ECT**

On a peaceful night in the middle of the ocean, one can almost forget their responsibilities. The sounds of the gentle surf crashing into the beach, the smell of the salt on the air, blown by the breeze, the cool of the darkness, only pierced by the faint light of the moon and stars. It would be perfectly peaceful, the ideal location in which one could relax, and forget about their responsibilities.

However, for some individuals, they still had work to do. Infinity Island has long been a home of the League of Shadows, the elite armed guard and assassins employed by the Head of the Demon, Ra's Al Ghul.

This night in particular, several armed men, members of the League of Shadows, had been employed to keep an asset of theirs from falling out of their hands while work was being completed on a project. A project that would give the Shadows some invaluable information and technology.

However, not everyone was pleased with their tasks.

Two guards, in particular, stood to watch over a large balcony overlooking the ocean. Neither was particularly pleased by their assignment, but only one of them was to make his displeasure verbally known.

"Don't you ever get tired of being out here?" he asked his partner with a sigh.

"Inevitably." His partner answered.

"Then why do we do it? Why are we here?"

"I'm not going to give an obvious metaphysical answer to that. The only reason we're here is that we're being paid. Get over it." He answered simply before returning his focus forwards.

"Well, you don't have to be all serious about it." The first huffed, before looking out across the waves. "At least the view's nice."

At that, his partner nodded. "For sure. This makes the whole thing worth it."

After a few minutes, the first seemed to smirk under his mask. "Never gets old, huh?"

"Oh, we are not doing this again."

"What? Come on! You love this song!"

"I know I love that song, just why do we have to do it every single night we have a rotation together?"

"Because it's our thing man!" he explained as though it were obvious. "Besides, we always have fun with it. It makes the time pass by quicker."

"It also gets stuck in my head for hours after."

"Is that really a bad thing?"

A brief silence followed before his partner sighed. "You're not gonna let it go, are you?"

"Nope."

"You're gonna wait here until I actually sing it with you, aren't you?"

"Yep."

Another silence. "Ugh, fine. Start it again." He finally relented.

"Awesome!" the first said in excitement before clearing his throat and looking out over the ocean again. "Never gets old, huh?"

"Nope."

"It kinda makes you wanna…"

"Break into song?"

The first grinned wide under his mask. "Yep!" he said excitedly before clearing his throat and starting to sing. "I love the mountains…"

"I love the clear blue skies…"

"I love big bridges!"

"I love when arrows fly!"

"I love… wait what?" the first asked before two arrows suddenly embedded into their chests. They both blinked in momentary surprise before the second guard smirked.

"I love our body armour." He said as the two broke into a bout of laughter. At least, until the arrows released a surge of electricity that shocked the two into unconsciousness. Once they were down on the ground, a red-haired figure carefully crept around them before continuing on his way through the secluded fortress. Carefully taking out any other guards he found, as well as disabling cameras, Roy Harper was taking every precaution to ensure his mission was a success.

Upstairs, inside a heavily guarded room, there sat a scientist, working herself into a frenzy over a computer table. All around her were various machine components, and numerous computers, which she used to complete the monumental task set before her. On the computer screen in front of her were the schematics and programming behind a special variation of nanobots, based on previous designs she had worked on in the past. These nanobots were intended to be a ground-breaking piece of technology, capable of replication on a molecular level. Unfortunately, the Shadows had taken interest in her work.

"We're losing patience." A deep voice called to her. This was a high ranking lieutenant of the Shadows, a man known only as Sensei. "Complete the project, or forfeit your life."

"I'm completing it as fast as I can." Doctor Roquette said in exasperation. Despite her own passion for nano-robotics, having the League of Shadows breathing death threats down her neck every two seconds made it difficult to keep focused on her work.

There was a sudden pounding on the steel door behind her, catching the interest of the two guards who were there to keep her working. One turned to open the door before it suddenly flew off of its hinges, sending the guard crashing to the ground. Roy Harper rushed inside before using his bow for a flurry of strikes that incapacitated the other guard, knocking him out with one well-placed uppercut.

Roquette looked at the archer in surprise, before a brief elated hope went through her at a potential rescue. "Dr. Roquette?" Roy presumed before making his way over to her side.

"Tell me you're the advance guy." She said hopefully, not wanting her only chance of rescue to be a lone archer.

"The only guy." Roy corrected, dashing her hopes quickly.

"You couldn't bring back up?" she asked incredulously. "What, were there budget cuts?" she continued to berate him before the sound of alarm bells rang throughout the building indicating that their cover was blown. A squad of armed guards made their way up to the sequestered makeshift laboratory, as Roy used an explosive arrow to create an exit for himself and the doctor.

Roquette coughed at the sudden billowing dust clouds from the explosion, while Roy simply fixed her a look of disinterest. "Now-or-never time, Doc."

"We can't leave this!" Roquette said seriously, looking at a large silver canister on the floor in front of her.

"Look, I take it, or I take you!" Roy pushed as Roquette sighed.

"Right, take me." She asked, removing her glasses as Roy fired an arrow out through the now open wall. A rope attached to the arrow provided them with a zip-line to safety as Roquette latched on to Roy's shoulders.

"Hang on," he ordered before taking off down the zip-line with her as guards started pouring into the room. Seeing their targets fleeing, the guards opened fire on the two as they quickly slid down the rope and into the jungle below. Once they landed, Roy pushed her onwards to the beach where he had stashed a speedboat away from prying eyes.

Roquette climbed in as Roy cast off from the shore, numerous guards still hot on their heels. "So what do you call this? The Arrow Boat?" she asked with a smirk as Roy climbed into the driver's seat before forcing her to duck to avoid oncoming fire.

"I call it a rental. Now get down!" he said before starting the boat and activating a detonator. Immediately, the several dozen explosives he had stashed all around the beach and jungle were armed before detonating at once. The massive explosion more than took care of the enemy fire as Roy sped the boat out into the ocean. "I think we're in the clear."

"Great, leaves only one problem." Roquette nodded with a frown. Back in the laboratory, Sensei looked at the machine expectantly as another scientist, named Professor Ojo inspected the device.

"Well?" Sensei asked.

"She finished. We're good to go." Ojo confirmed, as their newest project, known as 'The Fog', was completed.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 8** **th** **, 09:58 EDT**

With the summer heat at its full capacity, Happy Harbour's reputation as a beach town paradise was now readily apparent. All around at the various beaches that littered the coastline, numerous people were enjoying the sun and the surf, at least, those without work and school were.

This included the various members of the team, as Tim, Kaldur, Megan, Ashley, and Conner all arrived at the beach right outside Mount Justice. Each was clad in swimsuits, and each was ready to enjoy some much-deserved rest and relaxation.

"Hello, Megan. We should hit the beach every day!" Megan said in excitement as she clutched a boogie board under her arms, while the others set up blankets and umbrellas.

Tim nodded in agreement before pretending to become sombre. "First, a moment of silence for our absent comrades."

"Barry, Keemia… those poor kids." Megan nodded while Conner simply shrugged.

"Hey, Keemia's got a spare today so she'll be here long before three." He pointed out. "Besides, we'd be gone too if Batman completed our school applications on time."

"He's got a point." Ashley nodded. "Keemia can at least make it later. But Barry…."

* * *

 **Central City – August 8** **th** **, 09:00 CDT**

Barry grimaced as he sat down at a desk at the back of the classroom. Of all the days to have to go to school, this was the one he wanted to be there the least. It was a beach day for the team. He was missing all the fun being stuck at school. The volleyball, the sand, Megan in her bathing suit.

His thoughts were interrupted as the bell rang before the teacher made his way into the classroom. "Welcome class, to the first day of sophomore year." The teacher greeted in a voice uncannily similar to Ben Stein.

Barry only groaned before slouching down in his seat. This was gonna be a long day…

* * *

 **Miami – August 8** **th** **, 10:26 EDT**

"Alright guys, gather round if you expect to hear any and all of the great war stories from this summer," Keemia smirked as she met up with her three friends. Unlike Barry, she was much more at ease with being at school. Granted, while she didn't necessarily want to miss out on the fun, she would at least be there before Barry. 'The team only has to stop at four. I'll be there in plenty of time.' She thought to herself as she met up with her friends.

The first was a rather short girl, a shy brunette with her hair tied back into two short ponytails, and a face covered in freckles. She wore long blue jeans and a baggy pink sweater overtop a plain white t-shirt. This was Cupcake.

The second was a tall black boy, his hair in short dreads, with two earrings in the shapes of black stars; one for each ear. He wore a black leather jacket over top of a grey t-shirt that featured a green alien, paired with grey slacks. This was River.

Finally, the last of her friends was by far the most outwardly bizarre. She was between River and Cupcake for height, with short white hair that turned pink on the ends. She had a long coat on, that shimmered almost like a rainbow, with a fur-trimmed collar. Her coat was also covered in what appeared to be leopard-like spots. She topped off her outfit with a black skirt and a white t-shirt with the images of the Beatles on it. This was Loma Shade, formerly Megan Boyer, alias Shade the Changing Girl.

"I've already told mine. The spotlight is all yours." Loma smiled as River gave a nod.

"Yeah, nothing too interesting from poor old Shade the Changing Girl. Now, tell us what Djinn has been up to." She implored her. River and Cupcake had known Shade before Keemia had met any of them, so they were well aware of the alien from planet Meta's secret identity as a superhero. Keemia met Shade through the Dark Division, and then met River and Cupcake when it was discovered they all attended the same high school.

Naturally, the two were found to be trustworthy enough to know Keemia's secret identity as well. 'Well, it starts with joining a team of young superheroes."

"Whoa! You mean you're on the Titans?!" River said excitedly before Keemia urged him to quiet down.

"No, not the Titans. It's a different team. A black-ops group made by the Justice League." Keemia explained.

"Black ops? Aren't you a little young for that?" Cupcake asked with a frown.

"Age is only a number." Keemia retorted as Cupcake scoffed.

"And dead is only a state of matter." She countered as the four made their way into art. "By the way, does anyone know who our art teacher is this year?"

"I have no clue." River admitted. "He's spent a lot of time in Greece though, so he knows a lot about classic art."

"He may be good, but I'll still miss Mr. Jimenez," Keemia sighed. "I hope his new job works out for him."

"Mr. Jimenez always wanted to make comic books." River nodded.

"It's nice to be able to live your dreams." Shade agreed.

"When you're not taking over a Hollywood starlet to do it." Keemia laughed.

" _Former_ Hollywood starlet. Big difference." Shade corrected. Any further conversation between the friends was halted as the door to the classroom opened and the principal stepped inside.

"Good morning class, I trust everyone is excited to be back for another year of high school?" the principal greeted. Naturally, the class gave the expected response of grumbling. The principal chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Yes, yes, I know. But don't worry, it'll be done before you know it. Now, I have a special introduction to make to you today. Allow me to introduce your new art teacher. He comes all the way from Greece, and we're hoping that he'll find it in him to stay here for the foreseeable future. Please give a warm welcome to Mr. Olethros Walker, your new art teacher."

The class politely clapped for him as he entered, however, Keemia simply looked at the teacher in shock. As soon as he had entered, she was reminded of something that occurred almost a year prior. His long red hair tied back into a ponytail, his close-shaven beard, the grungy flannel shirt, the paint-stained and torn jeans. The only difference from back then was the black art apron he wore, and the old worn hiker's boots on his feet. But there was no mistaking it.

This man had given her the hammer she used to fight Steppenwolf during Darkseid's last attempted invasion.

"Hey, Keems. You okay?" River asked, noting his friend's shock at seeing the teacher.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded hastily. "I just think that guy helped me during an alien invasion is all." She grimaced.

* * *

The class went smoothly enough. Mr. Walker had decided to forgo any serious projects until at least the next class, just so that they could get a decent idea of his curriculum, as well as so he could explain everything he had seen and attempted himself. Most of the class seemed thrilled at the prospect of sculpting, as Mr. Walker had proposed the idea of carving actual marble. Should he get the tools necessary of course.

Most of the rest of the day was saved for sketching and so the remaining time passed in silence. Except for Keemia. Her thoughts continued to wander back to Mr. Walker, and the fact that he had saved her life with that hammer the year prior. On top of that, the sight of him brought more thoughts to her head.

Thoughts of ancient beings… which immediately translated to her page. What had started as a nondescript portrait became a patchwork of shattered glass, intermittently interrupted by colourful fish and leaves.

By the time the class had ended, she had filled the entire page with a vast assortment of colours. She hadn't even noticed her friends packing up until River nudged her. Reluctantly she followed suit to leave with them before Mr. Walker cleared his throat behind them. "Ms. Marko, a word please."

She gave River and the others slight nod as the three reluctantly left before she turned to face her new teacher. "Yes, Mr. Walker?"

He seemed to stare at her for a moment before grinning. "I trust you've been fine since the invasion?"

"So it was you!" Keemia said in realization, pointing at him accusingly. "What was that… that thing you gave me anyway? I've never seen anything like it. Nothing in the House of Mystery can even explain where it might have come from!" she raved in shock before he raised a hand to calm her down.

"That hammer is mine. And now, it is also yours." He shrugged. "You may call it whenever you need it."

"What do you mean I can call it?" she asked.

"It's like I said. You need only ask for destruction." He chuckled. "Oh, and by the way, that was an excellent portrait of my sister you drew today."

"Your… sister?" she asked before pulling out her sketchbook. Mr. Walker took it and opened to the page she had just recently finished.

"Yep. I know you've never met her, but there she is." He nodded. "I know it doesn't make much sense now, but I have a need for you to wield that hammer. But also for you to be responsible with it. I believe that you will be responsible. It has a heavy burden upon it. Not just to destroy, but also to create…" he trailed off, looking out the window. "My nephew was tasked with a similar burden once, heaped on by his own father. I only hope that you yourself can carry that one with the same talent."

"But what is this responsibility?" she asked.

He smirked a little before shrugging. "Figure that out for yourself kid." He chuckled before the bell rang again and Keemia reluctantly left the classroom.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 8** **th** **, 02:41 EDT**

"Alright, get ready for this one!" Tim grinned before leaping into the air and spiking the volleyball back down to the beach on the other side of the net, where Megan quickly dove to meet it on the ground, setting it up for Conner to spike it back.

Since there were five present, Ashley opted to sit out the game, instead of watching as the other four went neck and neck in score. Finally, the ball dropped before Kaldur could reach it, causing the Atlantean to sigh.

"All tied up then I guess." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his head before picking the ball up.

"Ready to throw in the towel?" Conner taunted.

"Okay, now it's personal," Kaldur smirked.

"Then what was it before?" Keemia asked, arriving on the beach in her two-piece purple swimsuit. "Because I can't imagine it was a friendly game beforehand either." She joked.

"Gotta love those final class spares, eh Keemia?" Tim smirked.

"Gotta love your school being closed for repairs after battling Amazo 2, eh Tim?" she fired back before putting on her sunglasses and taking a seat next to Ashley. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

"Don't you want to play?" Megan asked.

"Nah, you guys got a good game going here." Keemia shrugged. "But, after Kal and Tim inevitably lose, we can do a 3v3: boys vs girls."

"Sounds good to me." Conner nodded before Kaldur served the ball for the last set of their game.

"So, how was school?" Ashley asked, looking to Keemia curiously.

"Eh, not too bad. Easy enough." She mused. "I think my art teacher might be some super powerful magical being though."

"Should we alert the League then?" Ashley asked in worry.

"Nah. He's just an artist." She laughed. "What about you?"

"Oh, Mrs. Waller homeschooled me. She'll be integrating me for grade 12 next year, but for now, I've got nothing but free time."

"Awesome! That means more time to hang out, without worrying about school getting in the way." She grinned before holding out her hand. " **Evig em na deci eeffoc!** " she cast before receiving a glass of iced coffee.

She looked at Ashley for a moment before shaking her glass. "Want one?"

* * *

" _Recognized: Kid Flash B-03_." The automated voice of the teleporter said as Keemia, now in her costume alongside her other teammates, looked to Aqualad curiously. "Think he remembered the time-change?" she asked curiously, since it was now closer to five o'clock, while Barry was coming from Central City, where it was just now turning to three.

Sure enough, the light from the teleporter died down to reveal Barry in his swim trunks, clutching several items in his arms. These included a beach ball and umbrella, a drink cooler, and multiple towels. "Barry is here!" he grinned before running up to the others, not noticing them in their costumes. "Now, let's get this party start—" he began before tripping over the umbrella and tumbling along the floor, sending all of the items he was carrying scattering all around the base.

"Yeah, that figures," Keemia smirked.

"…ted?" Barry finished looking around to see the rest of the team suited up, alongside Red Tornado, Batman, and Green Arrow. There was also a new figure among them. She was a blonde, with her hair tied back in a long ponytail, in addition to a green costume that bared her midriff. She was also armed with a quiver on her back and a bow in her hand.

"Oh hi." The new girl greeted with a smirk. "I love the uniform. What exactly are your powers?"

"Motormouth, insatiable libido, and a lack of a filter," Keemia smirked before the two girls fist-bumped.

"Uh, who's this?" Barry asked, standing up and moving between Aqualad and Robin.

"Artemis. Your new teammate." The blonde greeted.

"Kid Flash. Never heard of you." Barry replied.

"She's my new protégé" Green Arrow explained, his tone being rather hurried, but still holding pride.

"What happened to your old one?" Barry asked.

"I think we remember when he stormed out of the Hall of Justice and then blew us off after fighting Brick." Keemia offered before the teleporter activated again.

" _Recognized: Speedy B-08_." It recited before the former protégé of Green Arrow appeared in the cave, a rather displeased look on his face. "And for another thing, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow."

"Roy, you look—" Green Arrow started before being cut off.

"Replaceable," Roy said snidely.

"It's not like that. You told me you were going solo." Ollie sighed.

"So why waste time finding a sub?" Roy asked. "Can she even use that bow?"

"Yes, she can," Artemis interjected, staring Roy down with a scowl.

"Who are you?" Barry asked again, as Green Arrow and Artemis answered at the same time.

"She's my/I'm his niece!"

"Another niece?" Tim smirked before Keemia elbowed him.

"But she is not your replacement," Kaldur said, approaching Roy alongside Keemia. "We have always wanted you on the team, and we have no quota on archers."

"And if we did, you know who we'd pick." Barry cut in before Keemia elbowed him as well.

"Besides, we can't let a reckless red-head be out on the streets alone. There's no telling what he'd get up to." Keemia said, glaring at Roy as he levelled the same glare back at her. After a few seconds though, the two friends broke into a close hug. "How've you been Roy?"

"Wish I could say better, Keems. I really do." Roy admitted before Artemis stepped forwards again.

"Besides Baywatch, I'm here to stay." She said triumphantly before Kaldur addressed Roy.

"You came to us for a reason." He said knowingly as Roy nodded, letting go of Keemia.

"Yeah, a reason called Dr. Serling Roquette," Roy confirmed as Tim's eyes widened in recognition.

"Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert." Tim nodded before calling up his holoscreen as numerous larger screens appeared all around the team, showing the Dr.'s credentials. "Based out of Royal University in Star City, disappeared two weeks ago."

"Abducted two weeks ago," Roy corrected. "By the League of Shadows."

"Whoa! You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?!" Robin asked with a grin as Barry high-fived him.

"Hard-core!" the speedster said excitedly.

"I already rescued her," Roy said before walking over to the large holoscreens before adding his own. "Only one problem. The Shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon." He said before uploading info about the weapon, showing small nanobots that looked similar to mites. "Doc calls it the Fog. Comprised of millions of microscopic robots. Nanotech infiltrators."

"It's made for subterfuge then?" Ace asked.

"More than that," Roy said grimly. "They're capable of disintegrating anything in their path: concrete, steel, flesh, bone. But its true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system, and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows. Providing them access to weapons, strategic defence, cutting-edge science, and tech."

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking," Artemis frowned. "Yeah, sounds like the Shadows."

"Like you know anything about the Shadows." Barry scoffed, only for Artemis to smirk at him in response. Barry saw her smirk before scowling. "Who are you?!"

"Roquette's working on a virus to render the Fog inert," Roy added.

"But if the Shadows know she can do that…" Robin said before Roy nodded in confirmation.

"They'll target her." The archer said before continuing. "Right now, she's off the grid. I stashed her in the local high school's computer lab."

"You left her alone?!" Green Arrow said incredulously.

"She's safe enough for now," Roy said, dismissing his worry.

"Then let's you and I keep her that way." Oliver nodded.

"You and I? Don't you want to take your new protégé?" Roy scoffed. Before Ollie could say anything to counter that, Batman put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

Green Arrow seemed reluctant before finally sighing. "You brought this to the team. It's their mission, which means it's hers now, too." He said, before gesturing to Artemis.

"Then my job's done." Roy nodded before heading off towards the teleporter. However, he was stopped by Keemia grabbing his arm.

"Hey Roy, take the stick out would you? Don't want it to get in the way of your fancy flips." She smirked as the red-headed archer smirked back in return, before going to the teleporter.

" _Recognized: Speedy B-08._ " The teleporter recited again.

"That's Red Arrow B-08! Update." Roy scowled before teleporting away again.

* * *

 **Happy Harbour – August 8** **th** **, 21:59 EDT**

Nestled in the woods just outside of town, Happy Harbour High School was an impressively big facility for such a small town. However, since it was also the closest school for several of the surrounding smaller towns, it made sense that it could fit so many students.

Right now though, the school was empty. Perched on the roof, Miss Martian stood with Djinn and Superboy as they kept an overhead view of the surrounding area. Inside meanwhile, Kaldur had taken Robin, Ace, Artemis, and Kid Flash to keep a closer view on the doctor. Kaldur peered through the window of the computer lab door carefully before nodding.

" _Alright Miss Martian, Ace. Link us up. We do not want the Shadows intercepting our comm._ " He ordered telepathically before the two immediately set to work opening the link.

" _Everyone online?_ " M'Gann asked as Artemis shuddered slightly at the feeling.

" _Ugh, this is weird._ " The archer grimaced, sitting on a desk right next to Roquette.

" _And distracting._ " The scientist replied with a clear scowl. " _Coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teen-think in my skull?!_ " she grimaced, holding her head almost painfully.

" _Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?_ " Barry asked, while absent-mindedly eating an energy bar.

" _Pot, kettle. Have you met?_ " Artemis asked, gesturing between Roquette and Kid Flash.

" _Hey, hey! I do not need an attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team._ " Barry retorted.

" _That is so not on me!_ " Artemis fired back as Roquette almost screamed out in exasperation.

" _Fate of the world at stake!_ " she seethed to the two squabbling heroes.

" _She started it._ " Barry scoffed.

" _Ace, would you mind cuffing Barry upside the head for me?_ " Keemia asked the telepath before the small girl did as she was asked. " _Thank you_ ," Keemia said with a smirk as Barry was left rubbing his head with a childish frown.

" _How 'bout I just help Miss Martian, Djinn, and Superboy patrol the perimeter?_ " Artemis asked before leaving the room as Kaldur gave a stern nod

" _Good idea._ " The Atlantean said as Robin looked to Kid Flash with a frown.

" _You might cut her some slack. It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo 2_." Tim pointed out.

" _What? No! That was Speedy's, I mean Red Arrow's arrow, right?"_ Barry asked.

" _Not so much._ " Tim shrugged while Barry huffed childishly.

" _Well, still not giving her the satisfaction._ "

" _You know, I can still hear you!_ " Artemis pointed out with a scowl as she made her way to the others.

Barry's eyes widened at that before giving a cry of exasperation. Roquette meanwhile rubbed her temples painfully. " _I couldn't get the Justice League._ " She groaned before Keemia got an idea.

" _Ace, make a second link inside this first one."_ She recommended.

" _Okay… but who should be in it?"_ Ace asked, unsure.

" _Just you, me, Aqualad, Miss M, and Roquette_." She said before Ace made the second link. Immediately Roquette sighed in relief at having Barry and Artemis' squabbling silenced.

" _There you go Doc! The perfect silent work environment._ " Keemia grinned as Kaldur made his way over to Roquette.

" _The virus won't be of much use unless we can find the weapon._ " He pointed out. " _Can you track it?"_

" _My utility fog is not a weapon! It's science, brilliant science._ " Roquette corrected. " _And of course I can track it, I'd just have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'ASSASSINATE ME' written in neon!"_ the scientist said, furiously typing before looking off to the side with a sigh.

" _Well you're a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"_ Keemia sighed before Kaldur put a reassuring hand on Roquette's shoulder.

" _We will protect you_." He assured her before Roquette typed a command in the keyboard.

" _Tracking the Fog now._ " She nodded before activating the tracking program and pinpointing the Fog arriving in Philadelphia en route to S.T.A.R. Labs.

* * *

 **Philadelphia - August 8** **th** **, 21:57 EDT**

Unfortunately for Roquette and the team, the program that allowed for them to tack the Fog also allowed for them to be tracked using the same wavelength. Professor Ojo took notice of this from his seat on the landing airplane before opening communications to Sensei and giving the old master the coordinates of the wayward scientist.

"Roquette has surfaced to track us, but that link's a two-way street." The scientist smirked, before looking over the coordinates.

"Who do we have near Happy Harbour, Rhode Island?" Sensei asked before Ojo set to work sending one of their agents.

* * *

Back at the high school, Superboy was finishing his patrol around the far side of the building, before a sudden rustling in the bushes caught his attention. His head turned sharply as he watched the surrounding underbrush from beyond the chain link fence of the schoolyard. After examining it carefully with his enhanced vision, he leapt up to the roof before running over it and landing behind the girls, who were watching the front doors.

" _Find anything Superboy?_ " Djinn asked as the clone shook his head.

" _Just a raccoon._ " He shrugged before walking off to patrol on their right flank.

The three watched him leave, as a coy smirk tugged at Artemis' lips. " _Mmm, that boy._ " She thought with a flirtatious tone. Conner shot her an uncomfortable look before continuing on his way.

" _He can hear you! We can all hear you!_ " M'Gann admonished her.

" _Oh, I know._ " The archer smirked before looking to Djinn. " _Am I wrong though?_ "

" _Ew, boys._ " She mock gagged before shaking her head. " _He lives in my house, and he's practically like a brother to me. So yeah, I'd say you're wrong by my counts._ "

Before Artemis could respond, Kaldur suddenly contacted Megan. " _Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located the Fog. Reconfigure the Bioship so that Robin, Ace, and Superboy can pursue._ "

" _Guess that's the end of the separate link then. Hopefully, Roquette got some work done._ " Keemia nodded as Megan brought the Bioship around.

" _Ready_ ," Megan said as Robin, Ace, and Superboy ran off into the ship before it took off towards Philadelphia. Once it was gone, the three girls made their way back towards the door, unaware of the figure watching them from the bushes.

" _You embarrassed Superboy!_ " M'Gann said, looking at Artemis with a frown.

" _Didn't hear him say that._ " Artemis shrugged.

" _Must you challenge everyone?_ " M'Gann sighed.

" _Where I come from, that's how you survive."_ Artemis countered.

" _Oh, so you're from Detroit?_ " Keemia smirked. All three girls were too caught up in their conversation to notice the figure leaping from a nearby tree and over the fence behind them before it entered the school undetected.

* * *

With Robin and Ace having left the room where Roquette was, Kid Flash moved out into the hallway to continue his watch, while Kaldur stayed with the scientist. He finished the last of his energy bar, carefully eying the hallways before noticing a shadow making its way down one of the adjacent corridors. He immediately pursued, speeding through the halls before seeing the figure enter into where the pool was.

Barry smirked to himself before speeding in, oblivious to the numerous marbles laid out on the floor until it was too late. Running at his speed, he had no opportunity to avoid them and slipped onto the floor with a resounding thud. He barely had time to take stock of his surroundings before a boot collided with his face, knocking him out. The figure then kicked Barry's unconscious form into the pool before leaving to go find Roquette.

* * *

With the sudden silence around her, Roquette returned to her work with vigour, rapidly typing out lines of code to counterattack the Fog, and engage shutdown commands remotely. However, she was so focused that she didn't notice the door to the room creak open slightly.

The same figure hat attacked Barry then threw a shuriken through the door, which sped towards the scientist. Kaldur did notice, however, and dove in the way, the blade embedding itself into his shoulder as she commotion alerted Doctor Roquette.

"Doctor, get down!" he ordered before standing quickly as the would-be assassin threw several more shurikens, each ending up embedded in Kaldur's left arm.

"Hm, that had to hurt." The assassin taunted in a sultry voice, before running into the room with two Sais drawn and ready.

"Atlantean skin is quite dense," Kaldur said, drawing his water bearers to counter the assassin's attack, while Roquette took cover under the desk. His water bearers immediately formed into blades as he parried the assassin, matching her blow for blow.

"And my shuriken are quite poisoned." She taunted again, attempting a low strike, only for Kaldur to easily block her before kicking her away. She nimbly dove over a table, landing on her feet gracefully.

"At least you're a creative assassin," Keemia smirked, as she appeared from the doorway before holding a hand out. " **Cirtcele eguled!** " she cast, before firing numerous bolts of electricity that the assassin barely dodged, before attempting to stab Keemia with her Sais. Luckily, Keemia was able to block the attacks with her staff, however, it forced her into a defensive stance.

" _M'Gann, Kid, Artemis! We are under attack in the computer lab!_ " Kaldur called out telepathically before moving to assist Keemia.

" _On our way!_ " Artemis answered, drawing and notching an arrow in her bow as she sped to help them, with M'Gann close behind. However, the Martian girl soon broke off, instead heading towards the pool. When she entered, she found Barry's unconscious body floating in the water. She quickly lifted him out with her telepathy before immediately starting CPR to save him.

Back in the lab, the assassin was met with Aqualad and Djinn attacking her from both sides. It was only her own intense training with her weapons that kept her out of harms' way as she battled the two heroes. As Kaldur attempted to parry her blows, Keemia would strike from behind. When she wrapped her legs around Keemia's waist to flip her, Kaldur was quick to respond by attempting to strike at her pressure points.

She growled under her mask before hurling one of her Sai at Doctor Roquette. "Oh no you don't: **Reev ffo esruoc!** " Keemia said hastily as the Sai instead embedded itself into the bulletin board next to the scientist's face.

"Almost." The assassin grimaced before leaping to her feet as she drew a kunai to replace her missing Sai. "Poison slowin' you down?" she asked, before once again clashing blades with Kaldur.

"Jellyfish toxin. I'm largely immune." He countered. However, with their blades locked, he was left open as she head-butted him, knocking him down on the ground.

"Largely." The assassin scoffed, preparing her Sai before it was suddenly shot out of her hand by an arrow as Artemis dove into the room. The archer notched another arrow, her eye trained dangerously on the assassin.

"Don't. Move." She said threateningly, before advancing.

"Heh, this gig's getting interesting." The assassin laughed before Kaldur rose again. She then took stock as, with Aqualad on his feet again, she was surrounded by three heroes. She drew a collapsible sword from her belt, using it to deflect to the volley of arrows that Artemis sent her way, before rolling to the side to dodge magical chains that Keemia attempted to throw at her.

"Damn it. I hate when they don't hold still." The sorceress grimaced before hastily blocking the assassin's sword with a hastily conjured barrier. However, she didn't have to hold it long, as Kid Flash and Miss Martian rushed into the room soon after.

"Maybe a little too interesting…" the assassin relented before throwing down a flashbang as Barry dove for her. Unfortunately, he was too late, and he only caught smoke. He rolled through and latched on to Artemis by accident instead. He let go quickly, backing off before looking at the few wisps of smoke left behind.

"Gone." He scowled as Roquette looked at Kaldur incredulously.

"She's getting away! You're letting her get away!" she yelled before Barry rounded on Artemis.

"This is all your fault! You were on perimeter!" he accused. "How'd that Shadow get in?"

The archer only narrowed her eyes in response as Megan approached the two. "That's not really fair." The Martian said. "I was outside too."

"Outside being distracted by her!" he said, jerking a thumb to Artemis before his gaze softened. "Besides, I can't be mad at you." He said before thinking in his head; " _Besides, you gave me mouth-to-mouth._ "

" _We heard that!_ " Everyone answered at once as Barry flinched.

"Dang it!" he cried out before his collar was grasped roughly by Keemia.

"How about me Kid? Or did you forget I was outside?" she said with a death glare as she rounded on the speedster. "That's a great way to build trust with your teammates, accusing them of sabotaging our missions. Would you do that to Ace?"

"What?! Of course not! She's proved herself a member—" he tried to defend before being cut off again.

"Then let Artemis prove herself, and stop acting like a toddler!" she yelled back, causing the speedster to deflate as Megan approached Artemis.

"I didn't do half as well in my first battle, and I know you can't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for very long." She said kindly before Kaldur called their attention.

"Focus everyone. The Shadows will be back." He reminded them.

"And they clearly mean business if they sent Cheshire after us." Keemia grimaced, as Kaldur looked at her with interest.

"You know of this assassin?" he asked.

"Not much, unfortunately. All I know is she's a world-class assassin and a top operative in the Shadows. Only outclassed by Deathstroke, Sportsmaster, and Deadshot." She said with a sigh.

"Then we'll have to be on our guard." Aqualad nodded before receiving a call from Robin over their comm links.

"Robin to Aqualad, we're over Philadelphia. We've located the Shadows' next target; S.T.A.R. Labs." Robin said as the Bioship flew towards the laboratory, hoping to beat the Shadows there. However, just as it arrived, the ruins of the lab crumbled to the ground in shambles. "We're too late…" he breathed in shock. "It's destroyed, totally destroyed. The Fog decimated it."

"Oh, crap." Keemia grimaced.

"This is bad," Robin said as Superboy and Ace continued to stare at the ruined building in disbelief. "S.T.A.R. Labs is cutting-edge science, and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy." He said with a frown, before looking to his teammates in the ship. "What's our next move?" he asked Aqualad.

Aqualad turned to Roquette with a stern stare. "Re-scan for that Fog. Find it." He said before looking to his teammates around him. "We're moving the Doctor."

* * *

Within the span of ten minutes, the team was able to have the doctor packed up and moved to a boat launch across town, located just a few blocks from the harbour district. Inside the boat launch, Roquette typed away while being watched by Kid Flash, Artemis, and Djinn.

Barry insisted on giving Artemis a suspicious glare every chance he got, while Artemis would respond in kind with her own glare whenever she noticed. Keemia watched the two with disdain before rolling her eyes.

"Come on guys, we're all grown-ups here. If you really want to make out, get a room like normal people do." She said snidely as the two immediately jumped back before looking away, blushes adorning their faces. Roquette shot Keemia an appreciative nod, while Keemia only smirked in response, leaning back in her chair at the now defused tension.

" _We're all set up here Aqualad. Roquette is back to work and we have our perimeter locked down._ " Keemia said telepathically. Outside, Aqualad nodded from where he was watching the boat launch behind a tree.

" _Good._ " He nodded before crouching down and looking behind him. "Miss Martian, stay in camouflage mode and make a wide perimeter sweep." He ordered out loud, unaware of the figure watching him from above.

Suddenly, a line of sticky red webbing shot from the tree before pulling Aqualad into the branches. The figure in the branches launched a flurry of blows at the Atlantean before kicking him out of the tree and into a nearby van. Kaldur fell to the ground before looking up and seeing a figure in a black and purple spider-themed outfit leap out of the tree before landing in front of him.

He stood up slowly as another figure attacked from behind. This one had a large metallic hook replacing his right arm, and stood well above six feet tall. His green shirt was torn open to reveal tightly wrapped bandages underneath, and his hair was an ivory white.

As Kaldur flew forwards, he would be met with a shorter woman with auburn hair. The bottom half of her face was covered like a ninja, and she was adorned with blades. She kicked him multiple times before his head was suddenly grabbed by another woman. This one was seven feet tall, and covered in muscle, with long flowing red hair and a dark-green uniform reminiscent of the Furies from Apokolips.

Once she caught Kaldur, she immediately threw him into the pavement where he fell unconscious. Taking a moment to admire their handiwork, the four agents of the Shadows watched as Cheshire reappeared before them.

"The Martian could return any second, and I'm not keen on evening their odds," Cheshire said seriously, looking at the four agents. Hook, Black Spider, Knockout, and Scandal were all deadly assassins in their own right, but with the sheer number of heroes present, Cheshire didn't want to waste any time. "We end Roquette, now!"

Black Spider rushed in first, bursting through the doors before flipping through the air and landing on the ground in a crouch. Barry was the first to respond, attempting a sweeping kick, while Spider simply leapt to the ceiling and shot a line of his webs at Barry.

The speedster avoided them by rolling out of the way before throwing a nearby trash can at the assassin, however, he easily dodged it before grabbing two knives and moving to engage Barry in hand-to-hand combat.

"Well, at least Eric Needham finally lives up to his namesake." Keemia snarked as Artemis drew an arrow to assist Barry. However, the sound of breaking glass behind her alerted her to Hook, who had leapt through the skylight of the building before rolling to the side to avoid Artemis' barrage of arrows.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here Kay?" a voice called as Scandal and Knockout entered through the front door that Black Spider had opened.

"A couple of young heroes beloved." Knockout answered before ducking to avoid a spell Keemia flung at them. "Oh? A sorceress. I don't believe we've ever fought one of those before."

"Then let's make it memorable, love." Scandal said before the two lunged at Keemia, who rapidly conjured barriers to parry their blows.

"Don't stop working!" Artemis ordered Roquette, before continuing her barrage against Hook, who was hiding behind some benches to plan a counter-attack. Roquette returned to the computer, unaware of the second skylight being opened above her by Cheshire. The assassin smirked under her mask, before drawing a crossbow and aiming at the doctor.

She fired quickly, however, a nearby table suddenly floated in the way, blocking the arrow from reaching the scientist. "Martian's here, it's now or never!" Cheshire called before leaping into the room with her Sais drawn. Black Spider nodded before dodging a kick from Barry and using his webbing to grasp the table, pulling it away from the doctor.

Cheshire landed on the table in front of the scientist, as Artemis attempted to stop the assassin, before being struck by the extendable hook-chain that Hook fired at her. With the heroes otherwise indisposed with their battles, Cheshire leapt after the fleeing Roquette, kicking her to the ground. She twirled her Sais in her fingers, ready to kill the scientist, before Roquette's skin turned green and her head twisted around to smirk at Cheshire.

"We've been duped!" Cheshire yelled, recognizing the imposter immediately as being Miss Martian. The real Roquette as it turned out, had been safely stashed several blocks away from the boat launch in an internet café. Aqualad's stakeout outside had been a rouse the entire time as the Atlantean now stood watch over the scientist once again. He watched through the door to make sure they weren't noticed too soon, before turning back to Roquette.

"I've almost got it." The scientist said eagerly before continuing to work on the virus.

* * *

"The next target's a WayneTech facility," Robin said as the Bioship continued its flight through Philadelphia, tracking the Fog. "In theory, its systems software could be used to hack the…"

"The what?" Superboy asked as Ace's brow piqued in curiosity.

"Doesn't matter." Robin dismissed quickly. "What matters is WayneTech operates a 24-hour workforce. We'll never evacuate the building in time!" he said in worry as a van down below soon parked across the street from the facility on top of a parking garage.

Inside the van, Professor Ojo moved into the back before typing the activation commands into his laptop, assigning the Fog to its new target.

* * *

"You'll never find Doctor Roquette!" Miss Martian said seriously, shifting back to her normal form as she took to the air.

"Never's such a long time." Cheshire dismissed before running off. "Pursuing target. Keep 'em busy." She ordered as Hook moved to engage Miss Martian, flinging his chain at her with incredible force.

Nearby, Artemis slowly got to her feet, seeing Cheshire running out the door. She was quick to move after her, looking at Barry. "Pursuing their leader. Take the rest down!" she said before running out the door.

Barry used his speed to disarm the knives from Black Spider, before punching the assassin multiple times. However, he rolled his eyes before looking back at Artemis after she spoke. "You are so not the boss of me!"

"Just do it!" the archer yelled before leaving. Barry had little time to rebuke her before Black Spider grabbed him from behind, ready to continue the fight.

As Cheshire ran out, she made a move to the van where they left Aqualad, immediately suspicious. When she got there, she seethed under her mask as she found the Atlantean missing, as she feared he would be. "Oh, I do _**NOT**_ like being played." She scowled before activating infrared sensors in her mask. She quickly picked up traces of Aqualad's footprints before following the trail down the street.

She hadn't gotten far when Artemis turned the corner around the van, seeing Cheshire's retreating form. The archer was quick to draw an arrow, firing it at Cheshire, only for the skilled assassin to simply swat it out of the air with her Sai.

"I was hoping it'd be you." The assassin said playfully before quickly leaping onto a nearby rooftop, Artemis in hot pursuit. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop, stopping for a moment near a chimney to look back at her pursuer. This easily allowed her to avoid the arrow fired at her, as it instead struck the chimney.

However, that proved to be Artemis' plan as the arrow released a cloud of knock-out gas, which billowed around Cheshire. The assassin coughed before collapsing on the ground as Artemis leapt beside her gracefully. She drew another arrow, carefully watching for any movement. Cheshire proved to have used a dupe of her own, as she made a wide sweeping kick to knock Artemis to the ground.

"Mask has built-in filters." The assassin explained before Artemis attempted to kick her. Cheshire simply caught her foot before pulling her to her feet violently, and putting the girl in a standing armbar, behind her back. "Better luck next time, kid." She smirked before knocking Artemis out with a swift chop to the neck.

In the café below, Aqualad heard the dull thud of Artemis' body hitting the roof above them. "We have company!" he said as Roquette hit one last keystroke.

"Uploading now!" the scientist grinned before turning to Aqualad. "And by the way, you said you'd protect me."

Aqualad didn't have time to answer as a pellet rolled in from the back room, releasing a small cloud of smoke. He drew his water bearers quickly, forming them into blades as Roquette stood up out of her seat in case she had to avoid anything. There was a silence that followed, before Aqualad turned, anticipating the pellet was only a distraction.

He was soon proven correct as one of the ceiling tiles had been opened before three darts were quickly shot into the Atlantean's chest. He stumbled back, shaking his head as his system was soon flooded with neurotoxin, while Cheshire landed nimbly on the ground in front of him.

"Let's test the limit of your jellyfish immunity, shall we?" the assassin quipped before Aqualad quickly moved to intercept her. She easily dodged all of his strikes, which were made without the same accuracy as before as the toxin continued to affect him. Before he could turn to attack again Cheshire simply kicked him across the face, sending him to the floor as he was finally knocked out by a combination of the toxin and fatigue.

"There. Limit tested." She shrugged before drawing her Sai and advancing on Roquette. "Now doctor, time for my appointment." She said as Roquette slowly stepped back in fear from the assassin, while Cheshire pursued in a slow, almost taunting fashion.

The assassin, however, was unaware of the program on the computer that was rapidly being uploaded to Robin's location.

* * *

Back over the Philadelphia branch of WayneTech, the Bioship was placed into a hovering position while still under its active camouflage. Robin checked the virus' status briefly before opening the rear exit of the ship, revealing the roof of the parking garage below.

"It's downloading," Robin said before Superboy looked out of the ship to see a nondescript van opening its right-side panel door. A man wearing an advanced cybernetic helmet was seen inside, activating the Fog before preparing to launch it. This was Professor Ojo.

"Don't need it!" Conner said before leaping from the Bioship to attack the Shadows' top scientist.

"Superboy, wait!" Ace yelled after him as she and Robin stopped short of the opening to watch their teammate leaping out. From below, Ojo heard them and immediately looked up to see Superboy's rapid descent from above. The scientist sneered before touching a few buttons on a device he wore on his hip. Immediately, the helmet on his head fired a powerful beam of energy that knocked Superboy out of the air and to the ground below. Satisfied that the threat was taken care of, the professor released the Fog, which immediately beset the WayneTech building.

"No!" Robin yelled defiantly before using his grapple to chase after the Fog as it entered the building. Ace hesitated briefly before using her telekinesis to follow behind Robin.

The Fog quickly ate its way through the front entrance before proceeding down the main corridor, with Ace and Robin in hot pursuit. The guard at the front desk saw the commotion of the Fog and looked at it in disbelief. "What in the…" he trailed off before seeing Ace and Robin run past him, after the Fog. "Hey! You can't come in here!" he yelled, grabbing his radio. "Unauthorized entry!" he reported, as alarms started blaring and a large blast door started to descend, attempting to lock off the halls.

"You'd think the guards would know who the heroes are supposed to be." Ace frowned as Robin saw the descending blast door.

"WayneTech override – TD-04!" Robin yelled as the door immediately stopped in its path before retracting. The two heroes rolled under the retracting door before continuing the chase through the building.

* * *

Miss Martian used her telepathy to throw several of the nearby desks and chairs at Hook, however, the villain simply crushed them with ease using his titular weapon. Once they were disposed of, he fired his chain at the Martian girl, who easily dodged it. M'Gann knew that they had to hurry and give backup to Aqualad and Artemis if the reputation of Cheshire was anything to go by.

" _Kid Flash, Djinn, we need to end this now!_ " she ordered as Barry smirked lightly.

" _It's like you read my mind, beautiful._ " He nodded before Black Spider fired another web onto the speedster's shoulder. However, Barry had a new plan as he quickly spun his body around at super-sonic speeds, wrapping the webbing around his body and pulling Black Spider towards him.

The assassin was unable to fight with the sudden force and was left helpless once Kid Flash stopped spinning before kicking him in the face with both feet. The villain grunted in pain before crashing through several benches, knocked out.

" _Nobody wants to read your mind Barry, not intentionally anyway._ " Keemia grimaced before dodging another attack from Scandal as she found herself caught between Scandal and Knockout.

"Oh, dear looks like the little sorceress is trapped." Knockout taunted.

"Such a shame, she put up a good fight." Scandal mused before drawing the lamentation blades on her wrists and preparing to attack.

" **Tropelet dniheb uoy!** " Keemia hastily cast as the assassin leapt at her, only to be caught by her lover and partner instead.

"Where'd she go?" Knockout asked aloud before Keemia reappeared behind her with a smirk behind her mask.

"Tch, nothin' personal kids; **Hctirdle tsalb!** " she cast, firing a massive beam of crackling blue energy that sent the two women flying through the wall of the boat launch, and across the street, into the woods.

Hook was finally the last assassin left standing, as he fired his retractable chain at Miss Martian again. However, this proved to be the least effective strategy of the night, as M'Gann easily caught it with her telekinesis before throwing it back at the villain to knock him out rather easily.

"Woo-hoo! I got mine!" M'Gann cheered as Keemia shot her a thumbs up.

"Me too. Looks like we're all wrapped up here then." Keemia grinned.

"Great." Barry nodded, panting slightly while he recovered from the intense spinning he just did. Once he caught his breath, he looked at the webbing he was wrapped in before giving a light chuckle. "Uh… little help?"

* * *

The Fog quickly ate through the WayneTech building, while the people inside simply looked about in confusion, not at all sure of what was going on. Robin and Ace soon found the halls to be rather crowded as people poured out of the various rooms to see if they could tell what was going on.

"We need to clear the building, fast!" Robin said as Ace nodded.

"I got it." She said before stopping and holding her arms out, as her eyes glowed orange. Almost immediately, everyone within the building immediately started running for the emergency exits, screaming as they went.

"Great, but what exactly did you do?" Robin asked as the two continued to run through the now clear hallway.

"Mass illusion. Tricked them into seeing something that would make them want to leave." Ace shrugged.

"Cool! What are they seeing?"

"Bees." She said simply. "Lots and lots of bees."

With the now empty hallways, the two had no trouble finding a cafeteria with a computer inside. Robin immediately rushed over before plugging his wires into the computer, rapidly typing away on his holoscreen. "Please be connected to the mainframe… please be connected to the mainframe!" he pleaded, as the Fog started devouring the floors overhead.

* * *

Roquette continued to stumble back fearfully before Cheshire grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her in close. The doctor gasped in fear, before looking over Cheshire's shoulder at the computer behind them. The assassin couldn't help it but look in curiosity, only to find a message indicating that something had been successfully sent out of the system.

"So you completed the virus?" Cheshire determined, her voice betraying no emotion. "Eliminating the reason for your elimination…" she mused, before idly twirling her Sai in her hand and holding the blade dangerously close to Roquette's face. "… though, not the entertainment value."

Roquette's eyes widened in fear before she suddenly found herself flung to the floor by Cheshire. "Lucky for you my orders are clear. You live to program another day." The assassin said with a scowl before putting her weapons away. "After all, Doctor, the Shadows may find another use for you…" she trailed off, leaving a fearful Roquette as she exited the building.

* * *

"God, I hope this works." Ace grimaced, watching the Fog literally devour the building as Robin quickly uploaded the virus into the computer. The computer linked directly to the mainframe, allowing the virus to be quickly spread throughout the whole building. The result was instantaneous, as all over the WayneTech building, the nanobots that made of the Fog short-circuited and summarily exploded, resulting the Fog taking on a brief red hue as they died.

"It worked!" Ace grinned as Robin pumped a fist in triumph.

"Yes! The infiltrators have been outfiltrated!" he said with a laugh as Ace simply stared at him.

"… I'm sorry, what?" she said in confusion.

"That's my new word, what d'you think?" the Boy Wonder asked.

"I think you need to find a new hobby… or another language to destroy?" she offered before the two made their way back outside.

As the Fog died, Ojo watched with a scowl before shaking his head. This really wasn't going to look good to his masters. Fortunately, he didn't have long to think on his failure as Superboy soon stood up before advancing on the scientist. Ojo fired his laser again, however, Superboy was ready this time. The clone blocked the beam with his hand before pressing through it, rapidly gaining ground on the Shadows' agent.

Ojo tried increasing the power, but to no avail, as Superboy reached out and grasped the helmet, crushing the components that gave the laser its power. It sparked from the damage as Ojo fell back against the van, the shock of the damage knocking him out painfully.

* * *

Cheshire found her exit from the café easy enough, only for four explosive arrows to land at her feet before sequentially detonating. The resulting blast knocked the mask from her face as she stumbled to the ground, coughing on the smoke without the help of her mask's filters.

Artemis stood just a few feet away, another arrow drawn as she looked down at the assassin with hate-filled eyes. "Don't. Move. A muscle." She ordered as the assassin slowly stood up. She stood with her back to the archer for a moment, before slowly turning to reveal her face.

"Wow," Cheshire smirked, revealing a youthful face that was all too familiar to Artemis. "I am completely at your mercy."

The archer gasped as her eyes widened. "You!"

"I suppose now you bring me to justice, let your new friends interrogate me," Cheshire offered before her smirk widened. "I wonder if your position's secure enough to survive them learning everything I know."

Artemis' gaze hardened as she stared the assassin down. After a minute, she reluctantly set the bow down, regret evident on her face.

Cheshire only shrugged. "Didn't think so. So like the Cheshire cat," she started before dropping several smoke pellets. "I'll just disappear…" she finished before vanishing into the smoke. When it cleared, Cheshire was gone.

Just seconds after she left, Roquette helped Aqualad outside, the leader still breathing heavily as his body fought against the toxins. "Artemis, where's the assassin?" he asked, panting heavily.

"She… she got away." Artemis admitted, just as Kid Flash ran in with Djinn close behind.

"Oh, from you? Big surprise!" he sneered. "Notice, we got ours." He said, before jerking a thumb behind him to where Miss Martian was holding Black Spider and Hook, the two tightly bound in ropes.

"Lay off, Kid Mouth," Djinn said with a glare. "Those guys might be dangerous, but Cheshire is in a league of her own. None of us would have been able to catch her."

Barry rolled his eyes before looking on the ground to see the discarded mask. "Cool! Souvenir!" he grinned before picking the mask up.

"Her mask?" Aqualad asked as he pulled the darts out of his chest. "Did you see her face?" he asked, grunted painfully with each one he removed.

"It was dark," Artemis said, shaking her head.

"It is fine. Robin and Superboy neutralized the Fog, and Dr. Roquette is safe, thanks in no small part to you." Aqualad said with a nod as Artemis turned around, a hopeful look on her face.

"Yeah, getting a face to the name would have just been extra credit. It's no biggie." Keemia assured her.

Aqualad nodded again, folding his arms with a smile. "Welcome to the team."

"Having you on the team with the other girls, it's like I have a bunch of sisters!" M'Gann said with a smile. "Well, here on Earth I mean. I have twelve back on Mars, but trust me it's not the same."

"I… wouldn't know," Artemis said, shaking her head with a smile. "But thanks."

Barry simply glared at the archer before being elbowed by both M'Gann and Keemia. "Ow!" he groaned before rolling his eyes. "Yeah, welcome." He said half-heartedly. But he at least shook her hand when she offered it.

"Well, it's a start." Keemia sighed. "I can't help but think we forgot something though…" she frowned before a sudden sound of ice expanding was heard behind them. They turned quickly, only for Keemia to see Scandal's lamentation blades inches from her face. However, the assassin was frozen solid inside a block of ice, alongside Knockout.

"Oh yeah. Them." Barry said with a nervous chuckle. "But who…?"

"I believe I can answer that for you." A familiar voice said as Dubbilex stepped out of the darkness towards them. "I apologize if this is a bad time, but I must speak with the Batman immediately. It regards a potential new recruit for your team."

"A new recruit?" Aqualad asked curiously, stepping forwards.

"Yes. In fact, she was the one who helped you just now." He said before another figure stepped out behind him. This girl was far taller than Dubbilex and easily taller than anyone else on the team. Her body was lean but heavily muscled, almost like a boxer, and her skin was a pale grey.

Her hair was pale blue, with purple streaks, and tied back into a long fishtail braid that she hung over her left shoulder. She wore a Blue S.T.A.R. Labs t-shirt, and grey cargo pants. On her right arm, there was a clear band of Polynesian tattoos going from her elbow all the way to her shoulder, with hints of another tattoo on her back just below the base of her neck. Finally, much like Aqualad, she had gills protruding from her neck.

"Hi, I'm Niuhi Lincoln. But you can call me Coldsnap." She smirked, folding her arms.

* * *

"Niuhi Lincoln? You mean to tell me that she's the child of King Shark and Killer Frost?" Batman asked Dubbilex seriously, as he looked through the file that the genomorph scientist had handed him.

"Indeed. Through means unknown to both myself and Guardian, CADMUS was able to… acquire her. She had been held in stasis in a tank in sub-level seven. We thought it best to alert you first." Dubbilex said seriously. "The girl was under the jurisdiction of Dr. Desmond, so he clearly knew what the reason for her presence was. He neglected to tell anyone else, however."

"And her age? According to this file, she should only be fourteen months old." Batman frowned as he read through them again.

"She was subjected to a growth acceleration, not unlike the one that Superboy and Galatea faced, at a very young age."

"How young?" the dark knight inquired, dreading the answer.

"Only three weeks old." The scientist said as Batman's scowl deepened. "The girl possesses powers from both of her parent's heritage, but she knows nothing outside of what the G-Gnomes taught her, and that she has discovered herself in the past weeks. She is aware of her parent's identities, and we have explained to her the circumstances as we have determined them to be. The true reason for her presence is still unknown."

"How is she coping?"

"As well as she can. She is confused and frustrated. She needs an outlet; a way outside." Dubbilex said. "I believe this team can provide that for her."

"Her lineage is one deeply rooted in crime," Batman said seriously.

"But the child is spotless as far as her parents' sins are concerned. She can become someone good. She can put their abilities towards the benefit of mankind."

Batman stopped to think for a moment. "She will need training. Lots of training. She needs to know the limits of her powers as well as basic combat before I will allow her to set one foot in the field."

"I understand. And I thank you for your time today." Dubbilex nodded. "For now, I shall take the girl back to the laboratory. We shall await your contact for any further information." He said before walking out of the room, leaving Batman alone with the file.

* * *

"You sure you want to go here?" Djinn asked, standing alongside her father as Roquette looked at the open portal in front of her.

"I'm sure. I don't have anything tying me down here, and besides, the Shadows said they'd be back. I'd like to get away from them. As far away as I can." Roquette nodded, clutching her bags and her laptop, ready to enter Flint's homeworld.

"Well, we wish you luck there. I hope your new employer has something interesting for you." Flint smiled. "And if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call us."

"I won't, but don't worry about me. I think this job will work out just fine." She assured them before stepping through. The portal closed behind her soon after as she was left staring up at the large building before her. It appeared almost like a large university, as a brown-haired man in a lab coat walked over to meet her.

"Doctor Serling Roquette, I presume?" he asked, shaking her hand.

"Yes, that's me." She nodded.

"My name's Peter Parker." He greeted before leading her inside. "And welcome to Horizon Labs."

* * *

 **Gotham City – August 9** **th** **, 01:16 EDT**

In an abandoned alleyway, a bright light suddenly flashed in an abandoned phone booth, as Artemis exited the teleporter from the cave to return home. She had barely stepped out before hearing someone approaching from the far side of the alley. She instinctively drew an arrow, ducking for cover, before aiming at the source of the sound.

"Step into the light!" she said tersely, her eyes narrowing. "Now!"

"Nice move." Roy chuckled before stepping out of the shadows, to where Artemis could see him. Seeing it was only Roy, she lowered her bow, putting the arrow away. "Almost made me believe you are Green Arrow's niece, but we both know you're not." He frowned, stopping just a few feet away from her.

Artemis' glare only intensified as she stared him down. "Still, I'm sure G.A. and Bats have a reason for lying, so your cover's safe." He relented before leaning in dangerously. "But I warn you, do _**not**_ hurt my friends." He threatened before turning and walking away into the shadows again.

She watched him leave as her bravado left her all at once, and she was left staring at the ground shamefully.

* * *

 **Infinity Island – August 9** **th** **, 01:01 ECT**

In a small room of the fortress, Sensei sat in a meditative position as seven screens surrounded him. Each one displayed a figure, whose visage was hidden. However, Sensei knew each one of them well. He bowed his head respectfully, awaiting their command.

"Report." One of the figures ordered.

"Masters…" Sensei greeted them. "Before Ojo's capture, he transmitted the S.T.A.R. Labs data you required. But the WayneTech Intel still alludes us."

"Once again, the young heroes interfere…" another figure mused before his voice took on a more amused tone. "So, it's fortunate we have an operative on the inside."

At this, Sensei smirked triumphantly.

* * *

 **Uh oh, a mole! Wonder where this could be going...**

 **Also, boom! New character for the team! Congratulations to everyone who guess that the child of King Shark and Killer Frost would be joining the team. Niuhi is my first official OC for any fic I've written, so this should be fun. From her mom she got the cryokinesis and from her father she got increased strength and durability, accelerated healing, the ability to breathe underwater, and typical Atlantean resistance to pressure and cold. As well as a secret surprise ability which will show up later...**

 **Bet you weren't expecting her to show up here, eh? She won't re-appear for a few more chapters though, but her backstory will be coming with her. There's still plenty of time to guess the canon character joining the team though. They'll be appearing soon too, so look forwards to that.**

 **As for other housekeeping, bet you weren't expecting Cupcake and River to appear were you? I love Shade, The Changing Girl, it's easily my favourite from the Young Animal DC imprint. And since it never really established where it takes place, I figured I could say Miami. Just pretend that they go to a standard public school now instead of an academy with uniforms. And now they're Keemia's friends.**

 **Also, Olethros Walker. It's kinda obvious who he is, especially if you recognize why Olethros is his alias. But yeah, I love Neil Gaiman too.**

 **I always hated how Black Spider in Young Justice was basically discount Spider-Man, so I'm trying to get him back to the proper Eric Needham he has to be.**

 **Also, Roquette gets to go to the Marvel universe. That should be good for her.**

 **But next time, the shit hits the fan (for the first time of many). Up to now, it's been mostly easy for the team. But it's gonna get more dangerous, and the Light will make more active motions. And someone will have to struggle with their own Denial...**

 **As always, be sure to read and review.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	7. Denial

**Alright, welcome back everybody to another chapter of Alchemic Justice.**

 **Seems like these things just keep getting longer and longer, eh?**

 **This chapter was easily my favourite to write thus far, and I don't think any other chapter will surpass it for that honour any time soon (at least, not until a certain Kobayashi Maru), and there is a reason for it. So much great development, so many great moments. The hype for me on this one has been intense, so I hope you all enjoy it as well.**

 **But, as always, before we proceed any further, it's time to take a look at some reviews!:**

 **mitchn: The only inspiration that came from Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay as far as Knockout and Scandal are concerned, would just be Knockout's appearance. Other than that, these two are based off of their incarnations from Secret Six, by Gail Simone. Now in terms of power, neither Ace or Djinn have really reached their peak yet. Once that happens, I'm not sure who will be the strongest. As far as we're concerned now, Ace is more powerful. at least as far as feats go. But who knows, that might be changing ;)**

 **rmarcano321: The Marvel universe does indeed rock. Uh, plans for Cheshire and Artemis? They're pretty much just gonna follow the canon for YJ. There isn't really a theme for this fanfic either.**

 **MajorBrony95: Killer Frost and King Shark definitely grows on you, for sure. It's one of my favourite ships now for a reason.**

 **7-Eleventh: Trust me man, there's more to Niuhi's backstory than this. And not one second of it will be comfortable. While the version of Firestorm in my universe is Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch, they're currently doing their own thing right now. They'll show up later, but they won't be joining the team. Jaime won't be joining the team until he joins them in canon, so don't expect him until Season 2. As I've mentioned before, I won't be bringing in any Marvel characters to join the team at all, so Toxin is a no. Thing is, I don't know anything about Patrick Mulligan, or Toxin, and even then I hate the symbiotes. As far as I'm concerned, if they're not Flash or Eddie, I couldn't care less. There will be a sequel (for Season 2), but don't expect Baron Mordo to show up at all. Besides, how would he even know about Klarion and the DC Universe? The only reason Strange knew was due to Sorcerer Supreme responsibilities allowing him to see and contact it. And I still don't understand how it wouldn't make sense to kill Kent Nelson...**

 **Celgress: It sort of is, but trust me, there's more to it.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Always good to hear from you my friend, and I appreciate the extra long review covering both chapters. Bruce only thought it necessary for himself to intervene, but with the failure of that attempt, it's time to pull out all the stops. Trust me, Lois will have fury. And Clark does have a reason for it, so it'll be fun to explore. Conner and Keemia will continue to build their brother-sister relationship as well, and I'm definitely looking forward to exploring it more. Funny enough, that easter egg could have either applied to Jorge or Phil Jimenez, so it killed two birds with one stone almost. River and Cupcake are so precious I just had to have them. And yeah, Destruction is an art teacher now. Should be a fun time. Black Spider desperately needed that fix, and I love Scandal and Knockout so it was a bonus. And trust me, Niuhi will definitely have a sad backstory. The Seven Soldiers of Victory won't be appearing as a splinter team for the Dark Division, despite the fact that I loved that series (It was fantastic!). This is mostly due to how the original Seven Soldiers already sort of exist in this canon (see the next chapter of Tales From Earth-45 to see that). As for Klarion... he's the YJ version. So expect an unrepentant asshole. An incredibly unrepentant asshole. Nina won't be coming for a few episodes yet, but it'll be good. I promise.**

 **Thanks again for all of the reviews, I appreciate every single one!**

 **And now, for the disclaimer:**

 **I own nothing but the idea. Keemia Marko and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **And now, for the most heart-breaking thing I've ever written.**

* * *

 **New Orleans – August 18th, 21:57 CDT**

All throughout the city of New Orleans, there was a deep-rooted and palpable joy among the citizens. Music played throughout the streets, as numerous people ventured out to enjoy the evening's festivities. However, not everyone in the picturesque bayou city known as "The Big Easy" was celebrating. Tonight, in particular, one older man walked through the streets alone. His perfectly trim and tailored suit was radically different from the colourful and festive clothes that the other people in the streets that night wore. His once chestnut brown hair was rapidly greying, and wrinkles adorned his face. He clutched a cane tightly as he walked around with a slight limp. Kent Nelson truly was a far cry from what he once was in his youth, but such things happen when you abandon magic; it in return, abandons you.

The man took out a golden pocket watch before opening it. Inside there was a picture of a beautiful young woman. Her long raven hair and soft blue eyes were perfectly offset by her slightly pointed ears and smile that held both kindness and mischief. Kent smiled as he looked at the photo before noting where he now stood. Directly in front of him, was what appeared to be a magic shop. "Madame Xanadu's House of Wonders" hung proudly on the sign outside, swinging slowly in the glow of the surrounding lanterns.

Kent took a breath before entering the shop. While it might be a long shot, he could afford to break his ward now. He was desperate enough now to finally be found. The bell on the door rang gently as he walked inside, noticing the multitude of tapestries and beads that hung from the walls. There were numerous candles lit and a table in the centre of the room awaited with two chairs and a deck of tarot cards.

"Welcome to Madame Xanadu's," a voice began from the back, as Kent finally dispelled the spell he used to disguise his appearance and aura. "How may I…. Kent? Kent Nelson?!" the woman breathed in shock, although there was an underlying sense of urgency and hope in her voice as well.

"Evening Nimue, how have you been?" he asked with a soft chuckle as the woman's face took on a worried and frustrated visage.

"Where have you been?! It's been almost a year!" she yelled with a grimace. "Do you know how long we've been searching for you? Even with Amazo's help, we couldn't dig up any traces!"

"I didn't want to be found… I didn't want anything to do with magic…" he trailed off before looked away. "Not after what happened to Inza."

Xanadu's face immediately softened at that. "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you. We all know how much she meant to you Kent. But your disappearance so soon after her death threw the entire League into disarray, not just the Dark Division."

"I know, and for that, I am dreadfully sorry. I just needed the time to come to terms with everything." The aged sorcerer nodded.

"Then why come here now after so long?" she asked, sitting down at the table as she drew three cards and laid them out. Her magic allowed her to see premonitions of the future, translated to her through the cards.

"You know why I've come here." He chuckled. "I have to see her again."

"You know I can't do that Kent," Xanadu said sharply. "It's against my bounden duty to do so."

"Please Nimue, have compassion for an old man…" he urged before Xanadu suddenly stood up with a glare.

"Do not pretend to lecture me about compassion, Kent Nelson! Or have you forgotten the centuries I lived without my eyes!" she yelled. Hundreds of years ago, the Spectre had seen fit to burn Xanadu's eyes and leave her blinded. Only her own magical affinity and immortality allowed her to get by in life. It wasn't until much later that the marauding Spirit of Vengeance had removed his damage, but by then the woman had learned true helplessness.

Kent flinched at her reminder before sitting at the table with a sigh. "That was careless of me to say." He admitted. "But it's been so long without her. I can't help but count the days. Three hundred and sixty-five from this very night." He chuckled dryly before looking away.

"We all miss her. But it does you no good to dwell on what you could not help." She pointed out, slowly flipping her cards over. "But you never know, fate may just be kind to you."

"But he so rarely is," Kent added with a nod. "I just so wish to see my darling wife again."

Xanadu nodded back before looking at her cards as the colour drained from her face; the Helmet of Nabu, The Witch Boy, and an all too familiar silver ankh.

"You will be with her soon enough." A new voice added before Kent was suddenly dragged from his chair by Abra Kadabra, dropping his cane in the process. The villain disappeared in a flash of light, with Kent Nelson's cane following soon behind him.

Xanadu watched the villain before reaching out in despair. "No!" she screamed before looking at the cards again, hoping she saw them wrong. Her second view proved to only further her fear before she ran off.

She moved out into the street before holding out her hand. " **Wohs em eht esuoh fo yretsym!** " she cried as magic energy swirled from her outstretched hand, and the House of Mystery faded into view. Once it appeared, she ran inside before rushing into the meeting room.

"Slow down Xanadu, what's got you all worked up?" Constantine asked from where he was busy reading. Zatanna and Sandman also noticed the commotion and gathered around the frantic clairvoyant.

"I found Kent Nelson, and he needs our help!" she said urgently as the three other heroes looked to her in shock.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 19** **th** **, 19:39 EDT**

Inside the hideout, Conner and Kaldur were in the middle of a heated combat session. The two boys were throwing and blocking numerous punches, deflecting blows, and breaking grabs every other second. It was clear that Black Canary's training had greatly improved their hand-to-hand techniques. Conner dodged another of Kaldur's sweeping kicks while attempting a blow of his own, making sure neither one left the center of their training area.

Nearby, Keemia watched the two with Megan and Artemis, while Barry simply stood to the side eating a burrito. Tim was out with Batman going after a lead in Cape Canaveral, while Ashley was at home with Waller to catch up with her homeschooling, in addition to having a few well-earned days off. With the cave emptier than usual, it brought the team a little closer together as they mingled.

Both Megan and Artemis, in particular, were spending a significant amount of time ogling Conner, after the boy had opted to ditch his shirt partway through the combat training. It was becoming clear that the two were in some sort of competition as they both vied for the clone's affections. Keemia simply rolled her eyes as she watched her teammates continue to ogle someone who was basically her brother. Their competition for him was becoming more and more obvious by the day. It was a wonder that Conner hadn't noticed yet.

Or if he did, he didn't give any indication. Not that Keemia could blame him.

At the very least, Conner seemed receptive to M'Gann's advances. They were more subtle than Artemis' to say the least, and the clone had definitely softened where the Martian girl was concerned. In his own way, it almost seemed like he was flirting with her.

Artemis was much more direct and forceful, and she made sure everybody knew that whenever she made a pass at Conner. Not only that, but she was trying every attempt possible to try and steer M'Gann away from him.

"Kaldur's, uh, nice, don't you think?" the archer asked before continuing. "Handsome, commanding. You should totally ask him out." She pushed.

"He's like a big brother to me." M'Gann retorted with a smile.

"Besides, I think he's already pining after someone else." Keemia shrugged.

"But, you know who would make the cutest couple?" M'Gann started before looking at a certain speedster. "You and Barry." She said, as Barry very audibly took another bite of the snack wrap he was eating. "You're so full of passion, and he's so full of… uh…" she trailed off.

"It?" Artemis finished before Keemia nudged her with a smirk.

"It rhymes with 'it', I can tell you that." She added before the three girls all broke into laughter.

While they continued to laugh at Barry's expense, Kaldur and Conner were continuing their combat training as the two quickly locked arms, each trying to overpower the other. However, in the middle of their deadlock, Conner found his opening before pulling his foot around Kaldur's ankle and tripping the Atlantean.

" _Fail – Aqualad._ " The automated voice of the computer said as Kaldur slowly got back to his feet.

"Black Canary taught me that." Conner panted with a grin, wiping the dirt from his hands while Keemia stepped forwards.

"Nice moves there. You're getting better at this." She grinned.

Before Conner could respond, the teleporter suddenly activated with a flash. " _Recognized: Sandman-14, Zatanna-12._ " The computer said before the two aforementioned individuals rushed into the cave, their urgency clear on their faces.

"Dad? Z? What are you doing here?" Keemia asked as Flint and Zatanna reached her.

"Keems, we found him!" Flint said as Keemia's heart froze for a split-second before hope dawned in her eyes.

"Y-you mean it? You found Uncle Kent?!" she said, tears starting to brim her eyes before she hugged them both close. The rest of the team looked on in mild confusion, except for Conner. Ever since he had moved into their house, he had become roped into Keemia's frantic search for her missing Uncle. To finally hear news of his appearance was certainly a load off of his mind.

"More like he found us. But he needs our help." Zatanna urged.

"Someone needs help? Sounds like a mission for us!" Barry grinned wide as he finished his snack.

"Batman's usually the one who gives you missions. Besides, we came specifically for Keemia." Flint said, folding his arms.

"Yeah well, the Batman's with the Robin doing the dynamic duo thing in Cape Canaveral. Besides, Keemia's a part of this team, and we'd like to help." The speedster pushed before leaning forward with interest. "Now, who's Uncle Kent?"

"If we can be of help," Kaldur said, pulling Barry back a bit. "We would more than willing to provide assistance."

Flint and Zatanna looked to Keemia for a moment, before the girl nodded. "Yeah, if he needs help, it might be nice to have a team backing me up." She conceded before Flint brought up the holoscreen, typing on the keypad before the image of an ageing man appeared, dressed in a black suit and tie, and with a gold-adorned cane.

"This is Kent Nelson, or as Keemia knows him, Uncle Kent." Flint introduced. "Not related by blood, but he might as well be. He's over 106 years old."

"Guy looks pretty good for 106," Barry smirked, whispering to Artemis who simply rolled her eyes in response.

"He's been missing for almost year now, vanishing shortly after the death of his late wife, Inza Nelson." Flint continued, bringing up an image of an almost elfin-looking woman. "Kent was responsible for training numerous heroes, including both Z and Keemia here. He used to be known as Doctor Fate." As he said this, the image of Kent changed to the eponymous Doctor Fate. "An extremely powerful magic user, and Lord of Order. He was a member of the original Justice Society, and has been an invaluable member of both the Justice League and the Dark Division."

"Of course, Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme." Kaldur nodded in realization.

Now it was Barry's turn to roll his eyes. "More like 'Doctor Fake'. Guy knows a little advanced science and Dumbledores it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes." He scoffed to Artemis again. Keemia's attention flashed to Barry briefly, frowning at him, before focusing forward again. This mission was too important to start missing any details.

"He's been hard to track down, damn near impossible, because of several wards he'd placed on himself," Zatanna explained. "He didn't want to be found, didn't want to return to the realm of his magic after the grief it caused him."

"How did you manage to track him down then?" Conner frowned.

"We didn't. He found us." Sandman corrected, frowning at the memory. "When he vanished, he placed numerous spells and wards over himself so he couldn't be found or tracked. As a Lord of Order, these were naturally quite powerful. No one in the Dark Division had the power or the immediate resources to find him. Even with John doubling his searches, and with Holland scouring the Green for any signs of Kent, it proved fruitless."

"Anyone else know what they're talking about?" Barry whispered to Artemis again, before the archer elbowed him to keep quiet.

"However, last night Kent decided to drop every single ward he had on his person, and walked right into Nimue's shop in New Orleans," Zatanna said with a frown. "Shortly after however, he was kidnapped by Abra Kadabra." She continued. "Kadabra's a fraud, but he's clearly working with someone who has real power. There are new wards erected, ones that have prevented anyone in the Justice League or the Dark Division from finding Kent, or the Tower of Fate."

"Stopping anyone in the Dark Division, but not us," Keemia said in realization.

"Exactly." Flint nodded. "And since Kent is the sole owner of the Helmet of Fate, it's paramount that he's not only found safely but that the Helmet is protected too."

"He is like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honoured to help find him." M'Gann said reverently.

Barry's eyes widened, as he suddenly but in to seize this new opportunity to hopefully impress the Martian girl. "Me too! So honoured, I can barely stand it! Magic… rocks." He said with a grin as Artemis face-palmed, and Keemia's eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't about to let his earlier comment go, but her attention was soon directed by Zatanna.

"You still know how to get into the Tower of Fate, right?" she asked.

"Of course. Uncle Kent always allowed me unlimited access to the Tower." Keemia nodded.

"Then you need to be their guide once you get there. Your best bet is to get inside the Tower and ensure the Helmet is safe. From there, you can find Kent and hopefully, whoever has taken him." Sandman said before hugging Keemia. "Good luck kiddo."

Keemia hugged him back before immediately turning to the others. "Suit up. We're leaving, now!" she urged before rushing off to the Bioship, the others close behind.

As they rushed off to the hangar, Barry leaned close to M'Gann with what he believed to be a flirtatious grin. "What are the chances that we both so admire the mystic arts?" he asked as Artemis audibly groaned. This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

 **Salem – August 19** **th** **, 20:22 EDT**

Once inside the Bioship, the team immediately sped off for Salem, Massachusetts where the Tower of Fate was usually located. While everyone was focused intently on the mission, none was more ready for this than Keemia. She clutched her hands tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She had been waiting for a moment like this for a year now, and she wasn't going to let it slip.

Conner looked at her carefully before placing a steady hand on her shoulder. "You're lookin' a little tense."

"Sorry, I just… I've spent so long dreading the worst. But now there's a chance. I can't help being anxious." She admitted.

"It's understandable. But I'm sure he'll be fine." He assured her.

Keemia smiled at that, giving a brief nod of thanks before her attention soon found Barry. She couldn't get over his whispered comments earlier. Despite his declarations to the contrary, subtlety was not the speedster's strong suit, and his comments didn't sit well with Keemia. Not after all the time they'd worked together, and especially not with the situation ahead of them.

She wasn't the only one concerned with Barry, as Artemis looked at the speedster with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. The true extent of the lengths he'd go to all for impressing M'Gann were starting to become more and more unbelievable by the minute. She soon got an idea, however, as a smirk formed on her face.

"So Barry, when did you first realize your _honest_ affinity for sorcery?" she asked as the speedster shot her a confident grin.

"Well, I uh… I don't like to brag but, uh, before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself." He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. At that, Keemia let out a barking laugh.

"You, a wizard? Please, you don't have nearly the right mindset for that." She snorted.

"Oh yeah, and how would you know?" Barry countered before Keemia raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Uh, sorceress? Remember?" she said as Barry rolled his eyes derisively.

"Right, how could I forget?"

M'Gann frowned as she brought the Bioship into a slow descent. "We've reached the coordinates you've given us, but—"

"Nothing's there." Superboy finished, looking at the empty expanse of land inside a public park, where their coordinates supposedly lay.

"Nothing that you can see anyway." Keemia shrugged as Kaldur gave a nod.

"Take us down." He ordered as the ship came in for a landing. Unknown to the team, however, their descent was watched by a nearby tabby cat. The cat's red eyes narrowed in suspicion before it ran from the alley it was hiding in, and into a nearby theatre that had been foreclosed.

After sneaking through one of the boarded up windows, the cat made its way into one of the many abandoned screening halls, moving down the carpeted walkway. Up on the stage, Abra Kadabra was in the middle of torturing the hostage Kent Nelson, who was helplessly tied to a chair.

"Grant us access to the Tower, and I promise an end to your suffering." The rogue said simply, threateningly brandishing his false-wand. "Continue to refuse, and…" he trailed off before attacking the aged sorcerer with electricity.

Sitting in one of the many seats and eagerly laughing at the torture was the cat's owner; Klarion Bleak, also known as Klarion the Witch Boy. His ever-loyal cat, Teekl, soon arrived and leapt into his lap. Klarion stroked the cat's fur amicably before it sat up and meowed at the chaos sorcerer.

"Shush, Teekl!" the boy ordered. "I'm watching the show."

"Enjoy it, while you can…" Kent panted, looking at Klarion with a scowl. "Soon enough, my friends will come to help me." He said before Kadabra shocked him again.

"Ha! Not with my wards they won't!" the Witch Boy grinned before gleefully cackling and applauding the man's misery. "Encore, encore! Haha!" he said before Teekl once again howled and hissed to get his attention. "What?" Klarion groaned in annoyance.

Once he had the boy's attention, Teekl meowed again, softer this time, before his eyes softly glowed, allowing Klarion to see what the cat had seen earlier.

"Oh…" Klarion said in realization, as a sinister smile grew on his face.

* * *

Outside, the team had spent several minutes attempting to find the Tower, but to no avail. Barry rushed around the entirety of the park before running back and stopping in front of Artemis. "Nothing. This isn't simple camouflage."

"So, what do you think? Adaptive micro-optoelectronics, combined with phase shifting?" Artemis asked rhetorically.

"Absolutely…" Barry started before noticing M'Gann watching him. "…Not! Clearly, mystic powers are at work here." He declared, while the rest of the team simply looked at him unimpressed.

* * *

From inside the abandoned theatre, Klarion watched the team outside with an earnest interest. He used his magic to cast an illusion, adding an extra barrier to the theatre that wasn't actually there, so he and the other occupants could keep out of sight as they spied. Unfortunately, with the sorceress present, he'd had to keep on guard. One wrong move and she'd see right through the illusion.

"Hey, Abra Kadabra, aren't you using adaptive micro-optoelectronics and phase shifting?" he asked, while the con man groaned.

"Yes…" Abra admitted with a scowl. He hated to admit that he didn't actually practice real magic, only having technology to substitute for the real thing. More than anything else, he wished for real power. And he certainly didn't need to Witch Boy to remind him of his short-comings.

* * *

While her teammates continued to look around puzzled, Keemia finally stepped forwards from where she was watching them. While their confusion was amusing, she wanted her Uncle found as soon as possible. "Y'know guys, I could get through the spell work here rather easily."

"Oh really?" Barry scoffed while M'Gann clapped her hands together cheerfully.

"Hello Megan, of course she can! Keemia's been to the Tower before!" she said eagerly as Keemia stepped forwards.

"Alright, then how do we get in?" Barry asked skeptically, folding his arms.

"With a key, duh." Keemia declared as though it were obvious. " **Tnarg aimeek okram a yek ot eht rewot fo etaf!** " she cast, before there was a brief flash of light and small golden key appeared in her hand.

Barry blinked twice before scowling slightly. "Okay, so you have a key, but what good is it without a door?"

"Oh ye of little faith," Keemia countered with a barbed tone. "It's magic." She declared before inserting the key into mid-air and turning it. As soon as she did, the Tower of Fate faded into view in front of them, as the large oaken doors opened for them. "Ta-da!"

The team looked on in wonder as Barry huffed, folding his arms. "I could've done that…"

"Oh really? I'd like to see you recite that spell." Artemis snarked before the six made their way inside, the door closing behind them with a resounding echo. As the team looked around in wonder, Conner was the first to turn around.

"Uh, where'd the door go?" he asked as the others turned. Sure enough, the door they just entered through had disappeared.

"It's a doorway in, not a doorway out." Keemia shrugged before a sudden illusion of Kent Nelson appeared before her.

"Welcome back to the Tower of Fate, Keemia Marko. It is good to see you." It greeted before looking past her. "However, those behind you are not recognized by the Tower. Please state your purpose and intent." It asked.

Keemia nodded and was about to answer before Barry suddenly cut her off. "We are true believers, here to find Doctor Fate!" he said with his arms held wide. The illusion seemed to frown at that before disappearing as Keemia turned to Barry with a scowl.

"Lying to the Tower is just about the dumbest thing you could have done Barry." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Barry deflated a little at that before the floor beneath the team suddenly cracked before crumbling away, causing the team to plummet towards a pool of lava below. All expect for Keemia who was still safe on a small floating patch of floor that remained behind for her.

Artemis quickly drew a small hand crossbow before firing a grappling arrow into the wall. Once secured, she swung towards the wall, grasping Kaldur as their momentum ceased. M'Gann meanwhile, quickly flew into Barry to catch him, while Conner stopped himself by grasping the wall with his bare hands. However, he had to drag deep grooves in the rock with his fingers as he slowed his descent. This, unfortunately, meant that his feet dipped into the lava before he was stopped, burning the shoes off of his feet.

The clone cried in pain before pulling his feet out and planting them firmly on the wall. "Those… were my favourite boots. This Nelson guy better be worth it." He grimaced.

* * *

Back outside, Abra shoved Kent towards the Tower, as Klarion watched, still holding onto Teekl. At the presence of its true owner, the symbol of a golden ankh flashed on the door of the Tower, before the door opened to allow all three inside. Klarion smirked triumphantly as they entered before the door inside once again disappeared.

"The Tower may not appreciate trespassers," Kent warned as he tenderly flexed his bound wrists.

"Mute." Abra retorted as a collar suddenly fastened itself around Kent's neck tightly. With the sorcerer suitably bound, they unlikely quartet proceeded onwards as the Tower opened up to a large living area. Inside was a large embroidered rug, along with numerous sitting areas. On the wall directly in front of them was a large fireplace, and above that, a large painting of Inza Nelson.

Before they could enter the room any further, the same illusion that appeared to the team appeared in front of them. "Hello Kent. How unlike you to bring guests to the tower, especially one with such potent mystic power." It commented, looking at Klarion.

Abra smirked before twisting his wand, as the collar around Kent's neck glowed red. " _My friends… come to help me._ " It recited, perfectly mimicking Kent's voice. Kent flashed Abra a look of annoyance before the illusion disappeared, satisfied with the answer. Once it was gone, the wall behind it opened to reveal a multitude of staircases.

* * *

"Having trouble… maintaining altitude… I'm so hot." M'Gann panted, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"You certainly are." Barry grinned.

"Barry!" Artemis admonished with a scowl.

"Hey, inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" he countered.

"My physiology and M'Gann's are susceptible to extreme heat. We must climb out, quickly!" Kaldur panted.

"Hang on guys, I got you!" Keemia said before leaping from her floating platform and diving down towards her team with her arms outstretched. " **Keemia Marko declares these individuals allies of the Tower of Fate. Do not allow harm to come to them!** " she urged, her eyes glowing with magical energy. Once she did, the lava below was immediately sealed beneath a thick stone floor. Seeing the now safe platform, Superboy dropped to it, before being joined soon after by the rest of his team, with Keemia floating down last of all.

Once he got his bearings, Kaldur crouched down low to the floor, touching it curiously. "This platform, it should be red-hot, but it is cool to the touch." He pointed out as Keemia nodded.

"Yeah, well I did ask that no harm comes to you in this Tower, so the Tower responded in kind." She pointed out.

M'Gann nodded, still a little shaky from the heat exposure as Barry moved to help her up. "Don't worry Megalicious, I got you."

"Enough!" Artemis yelled before pushing Barry away from M'Gann and into a wall. "Your little 'impress Megan at all costs game' nearly got us all barbecued!"

"When did this become my fault?" he retorted with a scowl.

"When you lied to that… whatever it was… and called yourself a true believer!" Artemis said, pointing a finger at Barry as Keemia nodded.

"The Tower does not take kindly to the skeptical, or to liars." Keemia frowned, folding her arms as M'Gann looked to Barry seriously.

"Barry, you don't believe?" she asked.

Barry looked away sheepishly as the others looked at him, awaiting his answer. After a few seconds, he relented. "Fine! Fine! I lied about believing in magic. But magic is the real lie, a major load!" he ranted.

Kaldur frowned as he continued to investigate the floor. "Barry, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers."

"Dude, you ever hear of bioelectricity?" Barry scoffed. "Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was once considered magical too. Today, it's all just a bunch of tricks."

"You're pretty close-minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers." Artemis scowled.

"That's science!" Barry countered. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment, and here I am. Everything can be explained by science."

"Everything, Barry?" Keemia said. Unlike most times, her face was completely straight and unreadable. Conner and M'Gann took tentative steps back as the anger almost seemed to roll off of Keemia in waves. "Then what are my powers? How do you explain what I do?"

"Well, you do transmutation. Like Shimmer!" he justified.

"Oh? And how exactly do you transmute the elements Barry? I can't rearrange molecules like Firestorm." Keemia countered. "And what about my golems? Suspending people in mid-air? Teleporting? Conjuring fire, energy, chains, what of that? Is that not magic? Besides, transmutation is just alchemy. You know, magic! Don't you trust your own eyes?!"

"I trust them enough to know that it's not magic!"

"Then why am I here?! What is my power if not magic?!" she yelled at him, tears starting to streak in her eyes. "My step-mother is a sorceress. My Uncle Kent is the Sorcerer Supreme, a Lord of Order. The Dark Division is full of monsters, vampires, and shadow beings. The House of Mystery is owned by an immortal spectre who invented murder and was punished by Heaven itself! But you don't care. All you care about is having to be right. Well guess what Barry, you're almost never right!" she yelled. Barry reeled back like he'd been slapped while Artemis tried to placate Keemia.

However, Keemia simply shrugged her off. "You know what, I don't care anymore. I don't care if you believe Barry, because I still have to save my Uncle. So while you're still doubting everything, or trying to prove how my own family is a troupe of charlatans, I'm going to go and save the man who taught me to be a hero! And when I'm done… when I'm done I'll just leave. I don't have room to be doubted on this team, especially not by my friends." She finished with a frown, before turning to a wall and raising her hand. " **Aimeek okram skees ecnartne rehtruf otni eht rewot fo etaf!** " she said as another doorway opened on the wall. Before anyone could stop her, she stepped through and slammed the door behind her as it once again faded into the wall.

"Well, there goes our only guide to this tower." Artemis sighed.

"Everything can be explained by science?" Kaldur repeated, almost mockingly to Barry. "Let us test that theory." He said before reaching for a trapdoor on the floor.

"Wait! The back-draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Barry urged, only for Kaldur to open it anyway. Instead of the scorching heat Barry expected, they instead found a freezing cold wind as the trapdoor lead them to a snowy landscape.

"It's snow!" M'Gann said with a smile as the flakes blew all around them.

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Artemis asked with a smirk while Barry glared at her before Conner pushed past the two of them towards the open trapdoor.

"Please, if he got tired of that, he'd just stop being wrong," Conner smirked before jumping into the hole with the others close behind him. Once the five of them had entered the snowy mountain landscape, the trapdoor disappeared, much like the other doors before it.

Artemis looked at Barry expectantly as he observed their surroundings. "Well?" she asked.

"Ever heard of string theory?" He asked. "We're in a pocket dimension."

"Ugh! No wonder Keemia left!" Artemis cried out in exasperation. Meanwhile, M'Gann noticed something shining from the corner of her eye.

"What's that?" M'Gann asked before everyone turned to look at what she had pointed out; a wooden cane with a golden handle.

"Ooh, maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Barry said, rolling his eyes.

Artemis ignored him, instead opting to approach the cane. However, Barry sped up behind her, as the two teens grasped the cane at the same time.

"I got it." They both declared at the same time before a golden glow overtook them. "I can't let go!" they cried out in alarm before the cane suddenly shot into the air, and vanished in a flash of light, taking the two teens with it.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Klarion whined, quickly becoming impatient as he ascended yet another staircase, alongside Abra Kadabra and Kent Nelson. They'd been walking through the unending maze of stairs for the last ten minutes, managing to walk along any and all perceivable angles and platforms that they could find. For the Witch Boy, it was becoming monotonous. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" he continued in his drawn out whining tone, the cat in his arms mimicking his boredom.

Kadabra was quickly becoming fed up with it all as he grasped Kent. "Tell us how to find the Helmet!" he ordered before removing the collar from around Nelson's neck.

Kent simply smirked at the fraudulent magician. "Can't. Having too much fun." He taunted while Abra Kadabra growled in frustration.

Kent would soon be met by another surge of Kadabra's electricity as he was sent painfully sprawling to the floor. "Still having fun?" Kadabra seethed.

"Heh, I am!" Klarion grinned as Teekl moved to perch on the boy's shoulders. "Zap him again! Ooh! Or dump him off the side and watch him splat!" he mused as Kadabra continued his torture of the aged sorcerer.

The Witch Boy watched gleefully before Teekl nudged him, meowing in a low tone. "Ah, yes, yes. I suppose we might still need him." Klarion conceded, rolling his eyes. However, while that might be true, that didn't stop him from enjoying the torture in the meantime.

* * *

Back in the frozen wasteland, Kaldur continued to wander about through the snow, leading M'Gann and Conner close behind him as they traversed the drifts. Through the bitter cold of their surroundings, the three were left in silent contemplation, at least until M'Gann turned to look at Kaldur with a questioning glance.

"I don't understand Barry. It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen." She frowned.

"Barry uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend. Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control." Kaldur explained.

M'Gann frowned at that, looking away before turning to Kaldur again. "But what about Keemia? It's almost like he didn't care that he hurt her."

"He does care, but his stubbornness won't allow for that." Kaldur sighed. "He and Keemia have been friends for as long as they've known each other. While they may bicker most of the time, they really do care for each other. For him to be so bull-headed, especially now, may have damaged their relationship irreparably." He started. "Keemia obviously feels that Barry's doubt for her powers will carry over to her ability to fight alongside the rest of us, even if she is still more than capable of doing so."

"She's not in the best mindset for this to happen right now, either." Conner frowned.

"What do you mean?" M'Gann asked.

"Keemia's been looking for Kent for the last year now. And when I moved in? I got roped into her search. I've seen her notes, her pegboard of leads, how frantically she goes after every clue. She spends most of her free time now searching. Do you know how many times I've had to console her while she cries after another lead turns out to be false?" Conner said with a frown. "This search is destroying her, so the chance for it to finally come to an end is the most positivity she's had in months. So you can imagine the stress she's under."

"Barry's just adding to her stress with everything that's happened today." Kaldur surmised.

"She could really use some good news right now." Conner finished before three of them heard a sudden loud creak off to their side. Turning, they noticed a new doorway having opened near the peak of one of the nearby mountains, with a large staircase extending down to where the three of them stood.

"Let's see if we can give some to her." M'Gann urged before leading them onward towards the door.

* * *

Kent Nelson slowly lifted his head off of the ground before smirking as he turned back to Klarion. "Hey Klarion, how good are you at fighting enraged sorcerers?"

"Please, fighting other sorcerers is literal child's play!" the witch boy sneered, before Teekl suddenly hissed in fear, jumping away.

"Let's test that theory then, shall we?" Kent smirked wider before Klarion was suddenly knocked aside by a burst of magical energy.

"Stay away from my Uncle, Witch Boy!" Keemia ordered as magical energy crackled around her fingertips before she landed on a platform directly across from them.

"Oh great, a girl. Why don't you just make me a sandwich?" Klarion scoffed.

" **Nrut mih otni a hciwdnas!** " she cast, firing another burst of energy that Klarion only barely dodged, as the platform he was standing on turned into a massive sandwich.

In the sudden confusion, Artemis and Barry reappeared on a platform above them, still holding onto the cane. The speedster was the first to see the new scuffle below. "Abra Kadabra!"

"Well, would you look at that?" Kent chuckled before the cane being held by Barry and Artemis glowed a golden colour. As it did, Kent shot forwards through the air with magical energy, grasping the cane as the ropes around his wrists came undone, and Artemis and Barry suddenly found themselves able to let go.

"In here!" Kent ordered, opening an elevator for them.

"What about Keemia?" Artemis protested.

"She can handle Klarion for a minute. Once she sees I'm safe, she'll back down." He assured as the three made their way into the elevator. Klarion saw their escape and scowled angrily.

"No! No! NO! I want that Helmet!" he roared, throwing red lightning at the elevator door. "I want it, I want it, I want it, _I WANT IT!_ "

"Sorry, but you'll have to try again some other day," Keemia said with a smirked before conjuring a circle of energy below her. " **Wollof tnek noslen!** " she cast, before disappearing a flash of light, following behind the three escapees.

* * *

Inside the elevator, there was an awkward silence as the three occupants ascended up towards the top of the tower. Kent stood next to the door with a jovial smile, his cane once again held tight in his hands to support him, while Barry and Artemis stood expectantly behind him. Barry seemed to be carefully judging the aged sorcerer with skeptic scrutiny, his arms firmly planted on his sides.

"I'm Kent Nelson, by the way." The older man greeted, looking back to the teen heroes.

"No duh." Barry frowned before being elbowed by Artemis. "Ow!"

"I'm Artemis, and Miss Manners here is Barry." Artemis greeted. "So you're the Uncle Kent Keemia's been talking about?"

"Yes, I suppose that would be me. The girl always did have a soft spot for me over everyone else in the Dark Division." He mused before his gaze turned serious. "Artemis, Barry, we're up against an opponent with tremendous mystic power."

"Abra Kadabra?!" Barry scoffed indignantly. "Flash proved he uses futuristic technology to simulate magic. The guy is all show and no biz."

"Right you are." Kent nodded as Barry looked to a stupefied Artemis with a satisfied smirk.

"He is?!" Artemis asked incredulously.

"Abra is a charlatan. But Klarion the Witch Boy, the kid with the cat? He's an actual Lord of Chaos, the ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order, like Doctor Fate." Kent explained.

"Right, you're a Lord of Order." Barry nodded skeptically.

"Oh no, not me. I might have some magic potential, but it's relatively small time. I'm just an old coat Fate used to put on. At least until my wife, Inza, passed away." He sighed, taking out his pocket watch and opening it to look at the picture of his wife inside. "Ah, she was a real pistol that Inza."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her?" Artemis asked carefully.

"The job. As much as I warned her to not be involved, she wouldn't have it. She was a sorceress on par with Zatanna and proved as much on the battlefield against Trigon the Terrible. It was the first ever battle that the entirety of the Dark Division engaged in together. But… it was not without its losses. Inza died in my arms after destroying the conduit Trigon was using to stay tethered in this domain. As it turns out, gems are a lot less durable than half-demon daughters." Kent said morosely.

"I'm… I'm so sorry." Artemis said whole-heartedly. Even Barry nodded with a solemn frown. To lose a loved one was always hard, especially if they had joined a battle alongside you.

Kent nodded appreciatively before closing the watch and tucking it away. "Anyhoo, Klarion's after the Helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, he'll turn the planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium." Kent said before the elevator suddenly dinged, signalling their arrival as the door opened. The three exited to see a large gilded bell in front of them, resting upon a platform surrounded by more staircases, much like before.

As they stepped onto the platform with the bell, a doorway opened above them, dropping Conner, M'Gann, and Kaldur at their feet. Artemis rushed over to greet them as Kent smiled fondly.

"Friends of yours?" he asked before Keemia appeared next to him in a flash of light.

"Some of the best." She said happily before hugging the older sorcerer. "It's so good to see you again." She whispered, close to tears.

"It's good to see you too kiddo." He smiled before suddenly shoving her out of the way as he and Barry narrowly dodged an attack from the newly arrived Abra Kadabra and Klarion the Witch Boy.

"Friends of yours?" Barry asked snidely before quickly moving Kent out of the way of another attack. The rest of the team immediately sprang into action against their opponents, while Keemia stuck close to her Uncle, prepared to defend him. Kent raised his cane, striking the bell before it glowed. Once it did, he stepped through with Barry and Keemia. But not before Klarion flew into the bell after them with his cat.

* * *

Kent soon reappeared alongside Keemia and Barry, on the roof of the Tower of Fate. Once there, they found the Helmet waiting for them, floating ominously, suspended in the air. Kent gave a soft sigh of relief before reaching out to the Helmet. Unfortunately, he was struck in the chest by a black and red spell, sending him stumbling back.

"Uncle Kent!" Keemia cried out as she and Barry quickly caught him. However, Kent tried to stand back up before clutching his chest painfully. There was clearly more damage there than at first glance. That didn't deter the aged sorcerer, however, as he raised his cane for one last spell.

" **Certe toto sentio nos kansate non iam adesse!** " he proclaimed before a large golden barrier shielded him and the teens from another magical attack, as well as protecting the Helmet. Klarion landed on the roof across from them with a scowl.

"No!" the Witch Boy cried out angrily as Kent turned to look at Barry, panting but still with a triumphant smirk.

"Not bad for a former 'Doctor Fake', eh kid?" he asked before collapsing again as Keemia was quick to catch him. "The bubble'll give you just enough time to do what you need to do."

"No, Uncle Kent we can save you. I can put you in a stasis spell until we can get you to the House of Mystery." The girl said urgently, her hands glowing with a purple energy as she prepared a spell.

"There's no point… Klarion used a withering spell… I can feel my heart crumbling away." He whispered.

"N-no… no there has to be a way! There has to! You can't leave me again! You can't!" she said hysterically, tears freely spilling from her eyes.

"Sorry kid… it's time for me to go." Kent sighed, kissing her forehead. "For what it's worth…. I'm proud of you…"

"No…," she said, shaking her head as Barry moved forwards.

"Come on, tell what to do. What do we need to do?!" he asked.

"Have faith… in what you cannot explain… Believe in what you can no longer deny…" Kent said, pulling out his pocket watch one last time before looking at Keemia again. "Lleweraf aimeek okram… I llahs syawla chtaw…. revo… uoy…." He finished before his eyes closed one last time, and his hand fell limply to the ground, dropping the open watch.

"Uncle Kent…. Uncle Kent!" Keemia screamed, clutching the man close as she openly sobbed into his chest. Barry shook his head before nudging Keemia.

"Go. Hold off the brat, I'll do CPR!" he urged her.

"I can't leave him Barry… I just got him back… and he's gone!" she sobbed harder.

"I'm gonna try to save him, but if I can't do that… then you can at least avenge him." He asked as Keemia frowned before turning to see Klarion's smirking face.

"Aw shucks, did the little old man die? Good, he was a boring old coot anyway." He cackled before Keemia slowly stood with a scowl. She wiped her tears away before fixing a glare of murderous intent at the Lord of Chaos.

"Pray to whatever god you believe in Witch Boy… because I'm in no mood for mercy." She seethed. " **Tropelet dniheb uoy!** "

In a flash of light, Keemia disappeared from the dome before reappearing behind Klarion. As she did, she immediately launched numerous fireballs at him from close range. Klarion blocked them all with a hasty shield, before responding in kind with a flurry of lightning.

"Oh did I strike a nerve? Was he important to you?" he taunted further, as Keemia continued to dodge his attacks with ease.

"Shut… up!" she growled out. " **Kcoldirg!** " she cast as a large energy cube formed around Klarion as a sort of barrier, intending to trap him. However, he broke through with ease before blasting Keemia with another surge of lightning.

"Couldn't just let him die, now you have to disappoint him after the fact?" he mused before binding her in powerful shackles. She grunted at her constraints, opening her mouth to cast again before Klarion conjured a quick gag to silence her. Once she was sufficiently mute, he shocked her with a powerful surge of fire and electricity that sent the girl into painful spasms. "Well, at least you won't be here long to see the end result. In fact, let's find you somewhere else to go. You need a time out!" he grinned madly before snapping his fingers. As he did, Keemia disappeared in a flash, leaving empty air behind her.

"Keemia! What did you do to her?" Barry demanded, ceasing his CPR too look at the Witch Boy with a glare.

"I sent her to a pocket dimension. After all, you know string theory?" Klarion laughed. "Don't worry, she's not alone. She's got her thoughts… and her failures." He grinned wider before suddenly glaring as he threw a multitude of powerful magical blasts at the barrier that protected Barry and the Helmet. "Now, I want that Helmet, and I want it now!"

Barry grimaced as the barrier shuddered and quaked with each attack, before turning to the Helmet with a frown. He then turned back to the body of Kent Nelson his guilt slowly growing before M'Gann contacted him telepathically.

" _Barry, Keemia, we're in trouble. Tell Kent we need Doctor Fate!_ " the Martian girl urged as she and the others were summarily beaten easily, by Abra Kadabra's technological assault. The telepathic link suddenly ended after Kadabra's latest attack, as Barry gasped in fear.

His team was under fire, Keemia was trapped who knows where, Klarion was gaining ground against the barrier, and he was running out of time. The cane next to him continued to burn as its energy to keep the barrier intact was rapidly depleting.

Klarion took notice as several arcane symbols suddenly appeared around the Witch Boy's feet. He drew energy from them before forming massive clawed hands and using them to assault the barrier next. They proved incredibly effective as a great deal of damage was swiftly dealt to the barrier, consuming the cane faster as the claws slowly dug through. Klarion smirked triumphantly as the barrier creaked and cracked beneath his assault, digging ever deeper and closer to his prize.

"A test of faith…?" Barry whispered, looking back to Kent before he stood and grasped the Helmet quickly.

"Hey, dumb kid!" Klarion called. "You put that on, you may never get it off!" he declared before tearing the barrier open, ripping the magic to shreds as the energy rippled and disappeared.

Barry grimaced, raising the Helmet as Klarion attempted one last attack, firing a massive burst of sickly, crackling energy at the speedster. Just before the energy could hit him, Barry closed his eyes and slipped the Helmet on.

* * *

When Barry opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a massive expanse of nothingness. All around him was an absolutely impenetrable darkness, the only illumination existing around his feet as a tall column of light illuminated his body and nothing else.

He blinked twice before taking a breath to calm himself. "Okay, okay… no problem. I'm not here, I'm just delusional." He assured himself before hearing chuckling echo all around him.

"Still don't believe?" Kent Nelson asked, before stepping towards him out from the darkness as the light illuminated them both. "Seriously Kid, how'd you get so bullheaded in fifteen short years?"

Barry blanched before stumbling backwards. "B-but you're…. you're…!"

"Yep, but don't feel bad. Soon as this little brouhaha is over, my spirit will ascend, and I'll be reunited with my beloved Inza." He assured the speedster, a soft smile tugging at his face.

"Oh… okay." Barry nodded before his eyes widened in fear. "Wait, does that mean that I'm—"

"Ah, you're alive. But your soul no longer controls your body." Kent explained. "You see we're inside the Helmet. You put it on, and my soul got sucked in. Probably because I spent so many years serving its master."

"Master?" Barry repeated, his face now intrigued.

"Nabu, the real Doctor Fate. One of them Lords of Order I told you about." Kent nodded. "He's the guy controlling your body now. Wanna watch?" Kent offered, before opening a viewing portal so that they could watch the fight occurring outside.

* * *

With the Helmet on a new host, Doctor Fate once again arrived on the Earthly plane. The initial wave of energy Klarion attempted to attack Barry with was quickly dissipated with ease by the Lord of Order, before he took to the air. Klarion shot spell after spell at Fate, only for him to block each one with a shield in the shape of a golden ankh.

"Give it up Nabu! Order went out of style in the twentieth century!" Klarion scowled.

"This battle is pointless," Nabu spoke, his voice a combination of his own unearthly and immortal voice, and Barry's own voice. "You sought to take the Helmet before it claimed a host, but you are too late."

"Shut it, you old fart!" Klarion hissed, before firing columns of brick from the roof of the tower, attempting to crush Nabu with them. However, a large glowing ankh appeared on the brick before they blasted away, revealing an unharmed Lord of Order.

"Brat…" the immortal Lord of Order muttered before firing a massive blast of golden energy at Klarion. The Witch Boy screamed in pain, dissolving under the assault before reforming from his own tattered remains a few feet away. With his body back, he fired another burst of lightning, attacking Nabu from behind, and striking him head-on.

* * *

"Augh!" Barry cried out in pain, before falling to his knees from the plane inside the Helmet. "What gives?"

"Well, it is your body." Kent shrugged.

"Then let me control it." Barry frowned, standing quickly. "With Fate's power, and my speed—"

"Sorry kid doesn't work that way." Kent shrugged again. "But you can see why I haven't put on the Helmet for the last year."

Barry frowned, swallowing a lump in his throat. "And… if Fate, loses this fight?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Kent only frowned solemnly. "You see Inza before I do."

* * *

From the moment she arrived in the pocket dimension, Keemia was left suspended in midair. Her restraints and her gag were both gone, but she had no easy way of getting back to where she was. What was worse, was that displayed all around her were her worst memories. In a sick twist, they were all from the last fifteen minutes.

She stared in horror as she saw Kent dying over, and over, and over again. The same sick, macabre sight becoming burned into her brain as she clutched her head screaming in pain and remorse.

"No… no more… I can't take it…" she said weakly, tears once again brimming her eyes. "I couldn't save him… I just wanted to save him…"

 _ **You desired… to save him…**_

The voice echoed all around her, as Keemia's head looked up sharply. The same words echoed all around her as she frowned. "I couldn't save him… but I can avenge him…"

 _ **You desire… retribution…**_

"But I need to escape here… But I don't think I can do that… I'm not strong enough to do that!" she yelled at the voice indiscriminately.

 _ **You desire… power…**_

"I don't just desire power… I need it! I need power to get out of here, to fight that son of a bitch!" she seethed. "I'd need to destroy the planes dividing us to get back!" she reasoned before an idea slowly dawned on her… one that reminded her of a conversation she had the other week.

" _Figure it out for yourself kid…_ " Mr. Walker's voice echoed in her mind, as a dark arcane energy swirled her hands, lifting her off of the ground, while her eyes durned a deep coal black.

 _ **You desire…**_

" _You need only ask for…_ "

" **DESTRUCTION!** "

* * *

Klarion's renewed assault immediately put Nabu on the defensive, as the Lord of Chaos conjured a massive monster of arcane energy to assault the sorcerer. Nabu shielded himself from the attack, only for another burst of energy to strike him from behind, sending him rolling along the floor. When he got up, Klarion fired numerous smaller blasts, almost like bullets, right at his prone form. Fate conjured a hasty shield, using both hands to protect himself, but the barrier soon cracked and shattered under the multitude of attacks.

Nabu took to the air soon after, dodging a stream of hellfire that Klarion spewed from his mouth. Klarion turned in a circle, attempting to strike Nabu with the fire before switching to massive columns on energy that shot from the ground. Nabu dodged the first few but was eventually caught, as Klarion held him within his grasp, before nocking Nabu to the ground again.

"You're out of practice Nabu," Klarion taunted. "And that pathetic host body? Zero affinity for the mystic arts." He commented before raising his hands as clouds formed overhead, and thunder started to rumble all around them.

Once enough of a thunderhead had developed, Klarion shot a wicked thunderbolt from the sky down at Nabu. Nabu formed a dome of energy to protect himself, as the lightning collided with it, conjuring a massive array of colourful sparks.

"Ooh, rainbow power!" Klarion taunted in mock fear before Teekl meowed, getting his attention. "I am paying attention, you stupid cat!"

Teekl meowed again, more urgently this time as Klarion rolled his eyes. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning?" he asked as Teekl meowed once more. "What do you mean she's escaped?!" he demanded before the entire tower suddenly shook from some unseen force.

The blast that shook them was so powerful that Klarion's assault was immediately halted, as both he and Nabu were sent sprawling on the ground. Teekl ran to his master before looking into the sky and hissing. Klarion followed the cat's gaze, only to see Keemia.

She floated in the air above him, however, the entirety of reality around her seemed to be cracked and fragmented. The folds of reality seemed to be warping around her very presence. Colours distorted around her as she was surrounded by a pitch black aura of untold might.

" **Witch Boy!** " she yelled out as Klarion stood again.

"Uh oh… that's not good…" he muttered.

* * *

"Uh, Kent? What's that?" Barry asked as Kent frowned.

"During Darkseid's invasion, Keemia accidentally joined the battle when she stopped Steppenwolf from killing Zatanna. Unfortunately, she was too early in her training to really defend herself, and was thus an easy target." He began. "However, through unknown means she found a hammer. This hammer was constructed from something… powerful."

"How powerful are we talking here?" Barry asked.

"One strike nearly killed Steppenwolf, and the energy released from the blow blew out every window for miles, as well as cracking the pavement below her."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was." Kent sighed. "That hammer is one of many abilities she can call on now, as some immortal entity saw fit to give her access to his power. What you see here? This is another glimpse of this power."

"Who was this entity?" Barry asked, enraptured.

"When the universe was formed, a book was opened. This book holds every event in known history. Over one hundred-billion years are inscribed in it. It was entrusted to a man, Destiny by name. He embodies destiny, naturally. As he was born, so was the first life. And with the first life, came his sister, Death."

"You're kidding right? This is just some prank…"

"No prank. Five more siblings followed after; Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium. Together, they are known as the Endless. Each are the absolute representation of their named domains, as well as the exact opposite. Death governs death, but also life." Kent continued. "Keemia was given power by Destruction. As such she can wield its untold power, as well as power over the domain of creation."

"Why would Destruction give this power to her?"

"I… I don't know…" Kent admitted. "When she used the hammer, she was naturally scared, and as such she sought my help since at the time I was one of her teachers in the mystic arts. I scoured my library before eventually finding what I was looking for. In order to keep her safe, until she was ready to wield its true power, I placed a block in her mind. She would need to destroy it herself to find this power again… and with her outburst of emotion tonight, it's safe to say she did."

"Oh man…" Barry grimaced.

"We can only hope she can come to her senses before she does something she regrets." Kent finished solemnly.

* * *

Back outside, Keemia fired a massive burst of destructive energy at Klarion. The Witch Boy only barely escaped, as the energy tore a massive chunk from the foundation of the tower, leaving the floor and walls in an irreparable state wherever her attack touched. She soon turned quickly, as Klarion attempted to attack her in return.

His beam of energy was simply deflected by her outstretched hand as the energy dissipated against it. " **Destruction is my domain boy… as is it my tool.** " She declared before firing another attack. This time Klarion attempted to block it with a shield, only for the barrier to be shattered on impact at Klarion was sent sprawling.

" **It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos alike to maintain a presence on the physical plane.** " She spoke carefully, landing on the ground between Nabu and Klarion. Klarion only hissed as his face became more demonic and energy swirled around him before he fired a volley of attacks at her. Each one dissipated before it could touch her as she stalked towards him.

Nabu attempted to intercept her, only to be blasted away by a similar attack, sending him landing next to the body of Kent Nelson. " **Nabu is bound to the Helmet, and as such must use a human host. But that is not your way…** " she said before firing another attack.

Klarion conjured a shield of brick to protect himself, only for the attack to fly past him and hit Teekl instead. The cat immediately screeched in agonizing pain as numerous bones in its body were shattered, leaving it defenceless and feeble on the ground as Keemia suddenly reappeared next to it.

Klarion cried out as he felt a similar pain, echoed through his own body thanks to his connection to his familiar. "Teekl!" he cried out, coughing painfully, as he clutched his chest. "I can't believe you would assault a defenceless pussycat!"

" **We both know that creature is no cat, Witch Boy** ," Keemia said before grasping Teekl by the neck and lifting him in the air. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly the cat's every bone was mended. However, there was a painful and sickening crack as this happened. " **And without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality.** " She said before squeezing Teekl's neck and slowly twisting it.

"N-no… what are you doing?!" Klarion cried out as he saw his body flicker rapidly, disappearing, while at the same time clutching his neck in pain.

" **It's clear to me that you love this cat, don't you? Tonight you took the life of someone I loved,** " she mused before sending him a malicious grin. " **Isn't it proper that I return the favour in kind?** "

"No! Teekl!" Klarion cried helplessly as the cut struggled.

Fortunately, she was forced to let go as Nabu struck her with a burst of golden energy. "That is not the way of Kent Nelson, nor is it your way." The Lord of Order said defiantly as Teekl scrambled back to Klarion's side.

" **How dare you?! Let me have this! Let me hurt him as he hurt me!** " Keemia cried out angrily as the energy around her flared.

"There is no justice in what you are attempting to do, only shame," Nabu said sagely. "Klarion will face a proper punishment, not your reckless and destructive indignation."

Keemia scowled before frowning as she looked at her hands guiltily. " **I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I only wanted…** "

"We all know what you wanted… however, you are perverting Nelson's memory through this needless destruction." Nabu said.

" **I'm sorry… I'll fix it…** " she said before using her power again, this time mending the damage done to the tower as it once again appeared intact before them. Once that was done, she took a breath before the aura around her dissipated and her eyes went back to normal.

"Well done, Keemia Marko." Nabu nodded.

"Yeah, serves you right you stupid bully!" Klarion hissed as Nabu turned to him with glowing eyes.

"Is that what you have to say, Witch Boy?"

"Bully! Killjoy! Geezer!" Klarion continued before Nabu shot a massive blast of golden energy at him.

"Holy Carp!" Klarion cried before vanishing and reappearing next to Teekl before picking him up hastily. "We're outta here!" he said before teleporting away.

Once he was gone, Keemia gave a weak smile before walking back to where Nelson's body lay. She then stopped by his side before falling to her knees and holding her face as she once again cried.

* * *

Far below in the tower, the rest of the team lay helplessly on the ground under the assault of Abra Kadabra. While he wasn't too powerful in his own right, his futuristic technology gave him the edge he required as they lay unable to counterattack.

He smirked confidently before increasing the power behind his electrical barrage until a large golden ankh appeared behind him and flashed with a bright light. The magic radiating from the ankh left Kadabra in nothing but his underwear as his wand vanished and with it, his attack ended as well.

"Wha?" he gasped in surprise before looking around in shock, desperately searching for the source of the treachery. Instead, he found the team now assembled on their feet, each one looking at him with a less than enthused expression on their faces.

"Show's over." Superboy frowned before punching the fraudulent man and easily knocking him out.

* * *

"Yes! That's how we kick it on the Earthly plane!" Barry said with a grin as Kent nodded thankfully.

"Hopefully now, Keemia is ready to begin her training anew. You never know when that power might fall into her lap again. She needs to be ready." He said sagely as Barry nodded.

"Oh yeah, totally." He agreed before looking around expectantly. He was soon met with an empty silence, before turning back to Kent. "Uh It's… it's over, right? So why isn't Nabu taking off the Helmet?"

"Because the Earth needs Doctor Fate," Nabu answered, as a golden vision of the Helmet appeared behind Barry and Kent, drawing their attention. "I will not release this body."

"He can't do that!" Barry exclaimed before looking to Kent. "Can he do that?"

"Can, but shouldn't." Kent frowned before looking at the Helmet's image. "Nabu, this is not the right candidate. The kid's soul belongs to the world of science, not sorcery."

"True," Nabu agreed. "But I do not appreciate being permanently hidden away, useless, and isolated for months at a time. Especially not when the Endless Destruction has once again returned to the Earthly plane."

"Returned?" Barry inquired.

"Destruction left his realm to travel the universe a couple hundred years ago. He preferred to create, and decided that humanity already knew how to destroy itself without him. In addition to natural disasters of course. For his power to return with such a focus, means that Keemia is a host of a different sort." Kent mused.

"Chaos must not be allowed to reign," Nabu spoke coldly, the realm seeming to shake with his every word.

"That won't happen again. The boy'll take the Helmet and make sure you're put to good use." Kent said seriously as Barry nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I swear!"

"And in the meantime," Kent continued. "I'll stick around, keep you company."

"Wait, what happened to you ascending, seeing Inza?" Barry frowned.

"So you believe now, eh?" Kent chuckled. "Don't sweat it, kid. I'll spend a few millennia here, then see Inza. That's the great thing about eternity," he smiled, taking out his pocket watch to look at her portrait. "It's eternal."

Nabu was silent for a moment before speaking again. "The bargain is acceptable."

"Some free advice before you go," Kent said, placing a hand on Barry's shoulder. "Find your own little spitfire, one who won't let you get away with nothin'. For example, that—"

* * *

Kent's words were suddenly cut off as Barry removed the Helmet, Doctor Fate's costume disappearing from around him. He looked around at his surroundings, seeing Keemia kneeling next to Kent's body, her body wracking with loud sobs.

He stepped over sheepishly before taking the pocket watch and closing it, carefully setting it back in Kent's hand, before closing Kent's fingers around it. As he did so, a trapdoor appeared on the roof as the rest of the team suddenly poured out, only to stop as soon as they saw the state of things.

"Oh no…" M'Gann whispered in horror, clapping her hands over her mouth as Conner immediately rushed over to Keemia's side.

He quickly crouched down before wrapping his arms around her. As he did, Keemia immediately latched on, crying into his chest as he held her still. "It's okay Keems… it's okay…" he whispered as the rest of the team stood around, bowing their heads in respect for the dead.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – August 20** **th** **, 03:48 EDT**

The weather outside the mountain seemed to convey the mood everyone in the team was in, as rain poured in heavy sheets from the sky, causing a slick torrent to barrage the cliff faces of their base. Inside, Barry looked at the Helmet of Fate in his hands, before he gently set it on the shelf next to the various trophies they'd gathered. It wasn't the most reverent place for the Helmet, but it would stay safe there until a proper owner could be found.

He smiled softly as he looked at the Helmet, before hearing Artemis clearing her throat behind him. "You never said what happened to you when you put on the Helmet."

"To be honest… I don't even know what I saw…" he sighed.

"You okay…?" Artemis asked carefully.

"No… not really. Everything I've learned up to this point has been grounded in science, cold hard science. It's hard to accept a truth that doesn't match that. What happened tonight? I could use science to try and explain it but… it would be wrong." he admitted, folding his arms. "I want to deny it so desperately, but something in me just can't now. And besides, the Helmet's safe, but at what cost? Keemia's lost her Uncle…"

Artemis felt a strong twinge of guilt before she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Just be there for her, okay? You two used to be really good friends. I think it would be best for her if you stayed that way. Especially now." She advised, releasing her hand as she walked towards the door. "Besides, you may just want to keep an open mind now."

He watched her leave for a moment, before turning back to the Helmet as Kent's voice echoed in his head.

" _Find your own little spitfire, one who won't let you get away with nothin'._ "

Barry frowned at that, as he turned back to where Artemis left. Kent's words seemed to echo louder before he shook his head. "Nah, couldn't be." He muttered before walking out of the trophy room and down the hall to where the sitting room was.

Keemia sat on the couch, staring blankly off into space, with Conner and M'Gann on either side, trying to console her. Kaldur watched from afar, looking at Barry as he entered.

"How's she doing?" Barry whispered.

"Not well. She hasn't said a word since we got back." The Atlantean frowned, looking to the floor. "I'm considering giving her a leave of absence until she can come to terms with it."

"You should. She'll need all the time she can get for this." He nodded just as Sandman entered the room.

"Keems, it's time." He said as Keemia gave a small nod before standing and moving over to her father.

"Wait, where are you going?" Barry asked with a frown.

"The House of Mystery," Sandman said, placing a gentle hand on Keemia's shoulder. "The entirety of the Dark Division is gathering there for Kent's wake, and for a bit of a memorial."

"Oh," Barry nodded, looking away. "Can uh… can I come?"

Flint thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't see why not. What do you think kiddo?" he asked, looking to Keemia. Keemia seemed to regard Barry for a moment, her eyes narrowing in momentary anger. However, they quickly softened before she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Yeah… he can. Don't expect him to believe his own eyes though." She muttered before the three made their way outside just as the rain was stopping. Once they had exited the mountain and emerged into a large clearing between the trees, Flint raised his hand out to the empty sky.

" **Wohs em eht esuoh fo yretsym!** " he spoke, before the House of Mystery slowly faded into view.

"Whoa… you do magic too?" Barry asked in surprise.

"Nah, not really. Z taught a few smaller spells, but for the most part I can't. That's just the password to let you in the House." Flint shrugged before the three entered. Once they did, the House shimmered and vanished behind them.

Barry looked around in wonder, seeing numerous people gathered together in the large entrance hall, which doubled as a study and sitting room. Keemia immediately flocked over to where another teenage girl was standing. This girl had short white hair, which came to pink streaks, and she wore a large fur coat with leopard-like spots. The coat seemed to shimmer like a rainbow every time she moved.

As he continued to search, he happened to look out the windows and was completely shell-shocked at the distorted space that seemed to ripple and exist around them. "Where… where are we?"

"Th-th-this is the s-space b-b-between worlds-s." a man answered with an obvious stutter as Barry turned to look at him. He was fairly short and portly, with a curly black goatee that matched his short cropped black hair. On his shoulder was perched a small golden creature with wings. "I-it's a r-r-realm made of p-pure magic, and w-where the House of Mystery exists w-when not on Earth."

"Ah, I see." Barry nodded, before extending his hand. "I'm Barry."

"P-Pleased to m-meet you," the man greeted, shaking Barry's hand. "M-my n-name's Abel, a-and th-th-this is Goldie." He said gesturing to the small creature on his shoulder.

"Well met." Barry smiled.

"W-w-were you f-friends w-w-with M-mister Nelson?" Abel asked curiously.

Barry frowned at that, thinking for a moment, before nodding with a small smile. "Yeah, I guess I was."

* * *

 **Miami – August 21** **st** **, 13:41 EDT**

Keemia sat on her bed at home, idly gazing at her desk that was filled with old notes and leads for her past search. Just gazing at them made the pain even more pronounced as she thought about how she couldn't find her Uncle, much less save him.

She sighed before looking back down at the floor. She wasn't doing herself any good by dwelling on it like she did. But it still hurt, knowing that she'd found him again, only to lose him so soon after. And he wasn't going to come back this time.

'I can't just keep harping on this, He'd want me to move on. He'd want me to be stronger.' She thought to herself bitterly. 'That doesn't make it any less hard though…'

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at her door. She sat up straight before looking at it expectantly. "It's open." She called.

The door opened slowly to reveal Ashley, as she nodded sheepishly to Keemia. "Hi… Conner told me what happened." She said as Keemia nodded sombrely.

"Y-yeah, I figured."

Ashley nodded before opening the door wider and stepping inside. Even from outside the door, the psychic could fell the sorrow billowing from Keemia in powerful waves, and stepping into the room only made the emotion more palpable. "I thought you could use a drink." She said before offering an iced coffee to Keemia.

Keemia looked at the drink before taking it graciously. "Thanks. Sorry you have to see me like this, I probably look like hell." She laughed bitterly. While her eyes weren't as swollen as they were, they were still fairly red, and dried tracks from where tears once flowed could still be seen.

"Nah, I think you still look like you usually do," Ashley said, shaking her head.

"And what do I usually look like?" she asked, sipping the coffee.

Ashely thought for a moment before blushing a faint shade of red. "Uh… cute."

"Cute, eh?" she asked, her own face turning a faint shade of red. "Well, I guess that makes two of us then." She chuckled before hugging Ashley. "Thank you for coming, it means a lot to have you here."

"Hey, you're my best friend." Ashley shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

Keemia looked at her for a moment, biting her lip. It seemed almost like she was debating something internally. After a moment, she leaned in before kissing Ashley's cheek gently. "Well thank you again. It really does mean a lot." She said, her blush darkening substantially, as Ashley's own face became a dark red as well.

"Y-yeah, no problem." Ashley nodded before Keemia sat up straight.

"Did you wanna watch a movie or something while you're here?" she asked.

"Would it make you feel any better?" Ashley asked.

"Well, it would take my mind off of it." Keemia shrugged.

"Then, yes, I would." Ashley decided as Keemia stood up to put a movie on. After choosing one of the many comedies she owned, she sat back down on the bed with Ashley and settled in. As the two slowly became enraptured in the film, neither one noticed as their fingers slowly started to intertwine.

* * *

 **[Unknown Realm] – August 20** **th** **, [Unknown Time]**

Massive resounding impacts completely shook a massive white realm. The realm looked like meticulously sculpted marble, with an aesthetic of ancient Greek architecture. There was a large pool in the middle of a round room, the waters not rippling, even slightly, in spite of the heavy impacts.

A tall, slender figure slowly strode down a long hallway towards the pool. Their skin was the palest white, which was contrasted powerfully by their piercing yellow eyes. Their cherry red lips were pursed in a frown as they adjusted the red suede jacket they wore. Their heels clicked against the marble floor quietly, while a small heart-shaped glass necklace bounced against their bare chest.

All around them on the walls of the hallway hung various framed items; a sword, a chained book, a silver ankh, a rounded helmet, a hooked ring, and a swirl of colours. The figure paid them no attention until they noticed that for the first time in nearly six centuries, the sword was glowing.

"Impossible…" the figure whispered with wide eyes, before running to the pool in a panicked state. Just as they reached the edge, it exploded outward like shattered glass, as Olethros Walker leapt into their domain.

Destruction had returned.

"Dear brother, don't you remember? You're supposed to ask my permission to enter." The figure started before being shoved back by Destruction. Their height difference became readily apparent, as Destruction grew to his full 7'5" stature.

"And you should know better than to meddle in my affairs!" Destruction seethed.

"Who, me? Why on Earth would I do that? You know I only taunt dearest Morpheus." the figure smirked before Destruction wrapped one large hand around their neck, slowly crushing it as the figure struggled against their grip.

"Don't play dumb with me, oh dearest sister-brother." Destruction mocked before glaring harshly. "You know the harm that comes when my domain is tempted. That's why I left it. It was safer when the universe decided for itself."

"Then why give it to a mortal being?" Desire mocked before Destruction dropped them roughly to the floor.

"Someone must guard it. You saw what happened to the Dreaming when our brother was captured for half a century. I spent the time since then thinking, pondering. As I wandered I kept thinking back to my domain," Destruction began, pacing back and forth. "I wished to no longer have any part in it, but I recognized that someone must be there. Someone must be able to guide it, so that man's hubris cannot abuse it."

"So you chose that girl? Please, you could do better." Desire mocked.

"Maybe so, but for now, she is under my guidance and protection. Do not interfere again." He warned sternly.

"Or what? You'll barge in again? You know that we cannot harm each other. It is law for us!" they taunted as Destruction sneered.

"It is also law that we don't fall in love with a mortal, and what should I find in my wanderings, but a mortal who you have devoted such… intimate care to?" He said threateningly. "They aren't just another of your flings for once, you actually love them. Your hollow glass heart has finally been filled with warmth."

Desire's expression turned fearful again. "N-no… no, don't hurt them. You can't!" they begged.

"I am the only one of our siblings who knows, aside from our eldest. But he is bound to not speak a word of it. However, make one move towards Keemia Marko, set one toe out of place, tempt her with my power again before she is ready, and I uphold the ancient law. As it is my responsibility to do so." Destruction finished before turning and leaving through the pool again. As he did, the sword on the wall ceased glowing.

Desire stared after him, tears slowly streaking down their face before they scowled. "Damn you…" they hissed before breaking into sobs. They lay there on the floor before lashing out and striking the marble floor with their clenched fists, repeatedly beating it.

" **DAMN YOU!** "

* * *

 **Alrighty, another chapter done!**

 **And god is it a tearjerker. I seriously cried writing this one.**

 **Also, some housekeeping: Inza's death. For those of you wondering, she died two weeks after the original Dark Division's expansion. Meaning, that the first chapter of Tales From Earth-45 is her last canon appearance before her death. And her death was directly attributed to magic, further driving Kent away from it.**

 **Barry not believing Keemia... this was hard to justify, but I hoped I did okay. It's kinda difficult to doubt magic when you're teamed with a magician. On top of that, I absolutely hated his reversion to thinking magic is bogus at the end of the original episode, so I definitely had to change that. On top of that, Barry just dropping Artemis to keep chasing M'Gann... yeah that had to be altered, at least a little bit. Hopefully this puts Barry on a nicer path.**

 **Keemia accesses the Power of Destruction for the first time, and was it ever effective. But as we've seen later, Desire hasn't escaped from this without punishment. Or at least, blackmail.**

 **Also, Abel appears. That's nice.**

 **Finally, looks like some romances are budding on the horizon. Wonder where they could be heading?**

 **But next time, we get a little bit of a change; an original chapter!**

 **Keemia is drowning in her grief still, but Tim's gonna need some help. There's a drug runner in Gotham pushing cocaine harder than any other, and what's all this news about a vigilante decimating gangs? A new team-mate is coming in the next chapter so, the only question left is...**

 **What lies under the Red Hood?**

 **Remember to read and review, I love seeing them all.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	8. Family Ties

**Welcome back everybody to yet another chapter of Alchemic Justice!**

 **With September rapidly approaching now, I will be returning to school soon. This might cause the updates to become a little slower overall, but I should still get them out to you as often as I can. The real exciting news right now is that DC brought back the Seven Soldiers of Victory! This means we get the returns of Zatanna, Frankenstein, Shining Knight, Mister Miracle, Klarion, and Bulleteer all together in their classic lineup. They even get to bring Sideways along for the ride too!**

 **I have also recently seen Teen Titans Go to the Movies!**

 **Is it wrong to say that I liked it? Because I did...**

 **I liked it a lot.**

 **But** **with that out of the way, lets get onto some reviews!:**

 **Malchior the Bad: Don't worry, I have a plan for New Year's. It'll all work out in the end. Also, Spidey has been relegated to cameos not expect him back in any large capacity, and certainly not fighting Black Spider.**

 **rmarcano321: Of course Xanadu is nicer here. In the show she was a throwaway with no reason to exist. In the comics she's incredibly deep, nuanced, convicted, and most of all, one of my favourites! I couldn't allow her character to be butchered again. And yeah, Conner and Barry (Wally technically) were nerfed in the show when compared to the comics they came from, but that was to be expected. It's how the universe was going to run. The Power of Destruction? Well I won't spoil anything about it (plot relevance ahoy!), but just know that it encompasses the entirety of Destruction's domain from the Sandman graphic novels. Why include the Endless? Why not? I love them all dearly, and I wanted to write them. It's why they appeared in the previous story, as well as this one. Why include Red Hood? Because again, why not? I love Jason Todd.**

 **7-Eleventh: Well I mean, the history of Jason in this universe will be similar to the canon as far as being Robin goes. More original chapters will be on the way in the future, but don't expect Ultron. As I've said before, there won't be too many Marvel elements coming into this story, and besides, Ultron got destroyed in my previous fic after Brainiac fused with him. Keemia will be having a relaxing (as much as she can) leave anyway, and yeah Klarion is an enemy for life now. Shimmer is more like a new target for her to annoy. Babs and Dick might show up here ;), though I'm not sure why Keemia and Ashley would necessarily keep a relationship secret if they had one. Someone will take up the Helmet, but it won't be Kent V. Nelson, I can tell you that. As for Ghost Rider... see previous answer regarding Ultron.**

 **Celgress: Well I'm certainly glad I managed to hit the emotional beats correctly.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: You certainly are correct that the previous chapter was emotionally heavy. There was a lot of stuff to go through there, especially with the characterization of the loss. That was the trickiest to convey, so I'm glad that I did it well. It was definitely a sad one to write too, but there was some lightheartedness. I must thank you for your compliments regarding how I wrote the characterization. Getting to write an interaction between Destruction and Desire has long been on my list, and I definitely imagined Brian Blessed every step of the way when doing that dialogue. Wendy Powell as the voice for Desire is now something I will want to see in the future if they ever do an animated adaptation of the Sandman. It could definitely be a phenomenal choice. And as much as I hated writing Klarion, it was so much fun to do. Just something about writing that sort of a jerk is really enjoyable I guess. I definitely have plans for Beast Boy in the future, so keep an eye out. Hopefully my interpretation of Jason Todd works out, I've been really excited to introduce him somewhere. Thanks again for your kind words my friend.**

 **Thanks again for all of the reviews! I love being able to read every single one, they definitely make this job a whole lot nicer.**

 **Now it's time for the handy old disclaimer: I own nothing but the inception of this fic's idea. Keemia Marko and all related characters are owned by Marvel comics and Disney. Young Justice, Red Hood, and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases of both.**

 **Special shout-out to my editor for this chapter.**

 **And awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay we go!**

* * *

 **Miami – August 28** **th** **, 20:00 EDT**

Keemia sighed to herself as she fell back onto her bed, as she had done multiple times over the last week. Just a few days prior, Kent Nelson's body was laid to rest outside of the Tower of Fate, where he would be buried next to Inza. The funeral was a sombre, yet largely attended affair, with the entirety of the Justice League and the Dark Division in attendance. Even the remaining retirees of the former Justice Society had come to attend the event commemorating their fallen friend.

But for Keemia, the memories had started to become monotonous. Despite how much she liked having the time off at first, it was starting to become more of a hindrance than a help. She had almost nothing to do outside of the classroom and her studies now. At least at school, people were empathetic to her loss.

River and Cupcake were updated by Shade as to what happened, and so the three friends made sure to stick close to Keemia throughout the week. Even Mr. Walker expressed his sympathies to the girl, before applauding her for being able to control herself before she abused his power.

Keemia was still unsure about how to summon it, but Mr. Walker was quick to inform her that now that the mental blocks were broken, it should be easier for her to figure it out. In the meantime, she was devoting most of her "extra-curricular" studying to safely controlling and accessing the power. It was, up to this point, a slow effort.

Her main concern with her leave was how the Team would be handling themselves in the field without her. Granted, she was only their second-in-command, and they were each powerful and adept heroes in their own rights, but it was still an unknown variable as to how they would operate without her presence. Her worst fears would soon be realized as the Team faced a vicious defeat at the hands of Clayface the night previous. It was only Batman's timely intervention that stopped the villain before he could continue his rampage.

As such, the rest of the team was taking their own extended absence after Kaldur opted to leave for Atlantis in order to clear his head and focus on what he wanted to do. Barry, in particular, had taken the opportunity with his time off to throw himself into research on a new project. With his acceptance (albeit reluctantly) in the existence of the supernatural, he decided to learn as much as he could about the subject. While he wouldn't ever be able to use it himself, having an entire resource of new and unknown information to learn about excited him. And, at the very least, it proved to be a stepping stone towards him and Keemia repairing their friendship.

After hearing about their loss against Clayface the previous night, Keemia was quick to go and check on the rest of her team. Conner had more of a bruised ego than anything else but he was at least able to get over the loss. It was something that each hero had to expect now; that there would be times where they are outmatched by their adversaries.

Ashley was another story. While her injuries weren't grievous, she still had a rather nasty bruise on her ribs. Keemia went to visit the girl early in the afternoon, and Ashley was glad to have her over. However, the last time they had seen each other before that point was right after Kent's passing. The tension between the two was becoming palpable, and it was clear that neither one really knew how to process it themselves.

"It's just the grief talking… you can't go after something that isn't really there. Once I move past Uncle Kent, the tension will go away." Keemia rationalized before sitting up again. Her thoughts were frequently drifting back to Ashley lately. Her smile, the way her hair smelled, the blush on her face after she kissed her cheek. Each little thing was running through her mind almost every day, and each time Keemia was left wondering if she had made a mistake.

Her thoughts were cut short though as her phone began ringing. She grasped it and answered the call, not even bothering to look at the caller ID as she did.

"Hello?" she asked in a flat voice.

"Hey, good to hear you're still as monotonous as our resident den-mother." Tim Drake answered from the other side. His tone seemed to reflect the fact that a smirk was tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, well being emotionally drained tends to do that to you. Just be glad I haven't hit Batman levels of not giving a shit." She snarked back, as Tim laughed.

"I take it you heard about the mission yesterday then?" Tim asked. "Nobody was feeling the aster after that one."

"Conner and Ashley both informed me of such. At least your ability to butcher English wasn't knocked out of you. What a tragedy that would have been."

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm a genius when it comes to unknown words," Tim defended. Now it was Keemia's turn to laugh. "You're laughing, that's a good thing."

"I suppose. Now, what are you looking for? It's not like you to just call out of the blue, even if it's to check on me. There's always something behind it with you." She inquired, leaning forward from her bed as she idly glanced at a photo on her dresser. In it, she was pictured alongside her teachers in magic; Zatanna, Inza, Gregorio, Constantine, and Kent. They were happier times for sure.

"Alright, you caught me. I need help with a little investigation." He admitted.

"An investigation? Did Batman put you up to this?" she asked.

"No, I've been doing this one myself. But I figured I could use some help here. There's a drug smuggling operation going on between Blüdhaven and Gotham. At first, I thought it was small time, but now it looks like some Meta is the ringleader behind this."

"A Meta? Do we have a confirmed ID?" she inquired, her interest now piqued.

"Not yet. All I can say for certain is that it's none of the usual suspects. Brick's still in Belle Revve after we busted his last weapons smuggling, and none of the Gotham crime lords are attached to this. This op isn't even over the drugs itself, they're just a front." Robin explained. "Apparently they're being used to fund some money for tech. But it still doesn't explain the heavy security."

"Okay, but why would you come to me on this? Why not ask Barry or even Conner? I'm sure they'd help." She reasoned.

"Two reasons: one, your adaptability and flexibility in the field would be paramount to success here. You never know what could go wrong with an unidentified Meta. And two, you've been out of the field for too long. It would help you get back into it."

Keemia frowned before looking into her open closet door. Her costume hung inside, waiting for her from where it was left after she last touched it. Next to it, her staff leaned against the wall, the crystals on top seeming to glow from within with renewed energy.

'Well if anything, it'll take my mind off of the tension with Ashley… and off Uncle Kent.' She thought to herself before sighing. "Alright, where do you want me to meet you?"

* * *

 **Gotham City Harbour – August 28** **th** **, 20:27 EDT**

Robin crouched behind a shipping container, scrolling through information on his holoscreen before a brief flash of light behind him signalled Djinn's arrival. "I guess you got the coordinates then?" he asked.

"Naturally. I haven't been taught proper location magic yet. I'm still waiting on Constantine to finally get off his arse and do it." She shrugged before moving over to her teammate. "So what have you got so far?"

He pointed from behind the container to where a small group of people were unloading crates from a nearby truck. "They arrived a few minutes ago. Nothing too indicative of their intentions yet, and I don't see anyone who looks like a leader."

"I'm assuming the Meta isn't here then?" she asked curiously.

"Not that I can tell at least. Everyone here just looks like some armed goon."

Keemia took another look, noting their rather small side-arms. "Very lightly armed. Nothing there that's too dangerous. Got any identifying markers on them?"

"Nothing. Plainclothes all around." Robin answered before looking up. "So what do you think, a quick distraction manoeuver? I could draw their fire while you ensnare them. Easy-peasy."

"Sounds good to me. But we'll need to get closer. Good thing you're all stealth." She smirked.

"Hey, the Batfamily is stealth incarnate." He smirked before a soft whistling sound could be heard. "Uh oh…"

"You've gotta be kidding." She muttered before a sudden rocket struck the truck, causing it to explode in a massive ball of flame. The goons who were moving the crates were sent strewn about around the truck as a result of the explosion.

The first few to get their bearings slowly stood up, drawing their pistols quickly. Keemia and Tim looked back from around the crate, processing the situation quickly. "Rival gang?" Keemia mused.

"Has to be." Robin nodded before a new figure jumped down in front of the goons. He was close to six feet tall, and wore grey combat cargo pants, along with a brown leather jacket. Two Desert Eagles could be seen hanging off of his hips, and his entire face was disguised by a red helmet that covered his head.

"Who the hell is that?" one of the goons asked before a sudden gunshot was heard. The goon fell to the ground, shot right between the eyes, as the new figure slowly lowered the pistol he had drawn. The entire attack must have taken less than a second.

"I'm new." The figure answered. "But you can call me the Red Hood." He said before dodging the return fire from the rest of the goons. He quickly rolled behind a barrel before throwing a grenade at the group. Most of the goons were able to escape, but two were unfortunately caught in the blast.

"A lethal tactic vigilante, in Gotham?!" Robin exclaimed.

"We need to stop him. If he kills those goons, he kills our lead." Keemia said before rushing forwards through the air. " **Maj rieht snug!** " she cast as a sudden glow came over the pistols held both by Red Hood, and the remaining goons.

"Great, close-quarters it is." Hood sighed before seeing Djinn stop next to him. "Don't think I recognize you though."

"I could say the same to you." She retorted as the goons, emboldened by their numbers since the guns were unusable, now surrounded the two. "I take left, you take right?"

"Sounds reasonable." Hood shrugged before the two rushed forwards. Keemia closed on hers first, a large summoning circle appearing before her hands. " **Dnib meht ni eht htrae!** "

Immediately, the ground seemed to swallow up several of the goons, leaving them buried up to their shoulders in the concrete. They struggled against their new trap, while the two remaining rushed Keemia up close.

The first attempted to swing his knife at her, but she was quick to block him with her staff, before twirling it around to disarm him. "Ooh, tough luck. **Peels!** " she smirked before the goon fell over asleep. The last one took a glance at his downed partner before quickly turning to run. Unfortunately, he wouldn't make it far before Robin dove from a nearby container to knock him out with a boot to the head.

Red Hood was equally as quick and efficient, however, he was far more brutal in his methods. He drew two trench knives before launching into the goons. He impaled one in the shoulder before slashing low to sever the Achilles' tendon of two others, leaving them on the ground and in pain. Another goon tried to tackle him, but Hood kicked low, breaking the goon's left knee before jumping on him to take him down. Much like with Keemia's fight, the final goon tried to run, however, he was stopped by Red Hood throwing his trench knife as it embedded itself deep in the goon's ribs.

"There, all clear." Hood panted lightly, standing up before noticing Djinn and Robin around one last goon that they'd tied up. "Need any help dispatching him? Or do you not eliminate your targets?"

Keemia sent him an absolutely affronted expression, while Robin simply glared. "Unlike you, we don't kill our captives." He seethed.

"Besides, we need information from him." Keemia nodded before looking back at the goon. "Like, who do you work for?"

The goon looked up at the two young heroes, and the one gun-toting vigilante, his face very clearly scared. "W-What do you wanna know?" he asked nervously.

"We want to know who you work for. Like I said just a second ago," Keemia snarked, crouching low. "As well as what's in the crates."

"Don't answer them, Ese." A new voice called, in a thick Hispanic accent. The three heroes looked behind them to see a new figure approaching. He wore a red pinstripe suit and vest, with a white dress shirt beneath. His hair was also a very bright, vibrant white and there were what appeared to be small white flames on his skin right underneath his eyes. "They're not gonna be good for business if you do."

"Guess that's the boss then." Keemia frowned as Red Hood looked at the newcomer appraisingly.

"Let me guess, you're here to stop us from halting your operation?" he asked.

"Si, I am. That truck held over a quarter-million dollars' worth of cocaine. That's a fairly pretty penny to suddenly blow up in your face." The leader said with a scowl. "Worst part is, I needed it for barter."

"Barter? With who?" Keemia asked.

"Sorry chica, but that's not something for children to know." He chuckled. The sound of a gun being cocked was heard as Red Hood unjammed one of his pistols, aiming at the boss.

"Too bad then that this is where your operation ends," Hood said. The man looked at him for a moment before chuckling deeply.

"Not quite. I'm only here to tie up my loose ends." He said before gesturing to the still trapped goons. "It's not for my insurance, it's just what my… partner asked me to do." He said before drawing a small bag of white powder from within his jacket.

"Really? Now?" Keemia scoffed, recognizing the contents immediately.

"You're supposed to celebrate with that after you win, not before you lose." Robin mocked.

"For once, we agree." Red Hood nodded, equally as confused as the younger heroes. "What are you up to?"

"Me? I'm here to have fun, Ese." He smirked before snorting the cocaine from the bag. As soon as he did, his body started to glow with white, crackling flames. His entire presence seemed to be radiating strength. "But work comes first."

"Oh crap…" Keemia muttered as the villain glowed brighter.

"The name's Snowflame, niños. And it's time for me to leave. I have a little appointment in Blüdhaven to take care of. So now, to go out with a bang!" he cackled before a sudden explosive blast rocketed out from his body.

" **Tectorp!** " Keemia said, rushing in front of Robin and Red Hood as she cast a massive shield to cover the three of them. It held against the blast initially, but it soon broke, sending the three flying back. Robin and Djinn both skidded roughly along the ground, while Red Hood collided with a nearby car. The rest of their surroundings, as well as the remaining goons, were completely eviscerated in the blast. Snowflame was nowhere to be seen.

Robin slowly got to his feet, before moving to help Keemia stand. "You okay?" he asked painfully.

"Yeah, just got a splitting headache." She grunted, holding her left temple as blood slowly trickled from her nose due to the magical effort she exerted against the blast. "Gotta work on better shields."

"You kept us safe," Robin assured her with a small smile, before seeing Red Hood stand behind them. His namesake helmet was cracked, exposing his face to them. Seeing that his helmet was useless now, the vigilante simply tossed it away. Underneath was a mask almost identical to Robin's, as well as deep red hair. His bangs, however, were highlighted with a vibrant white streak. Robin took one look at the vigilante before his eyes widened. "Impossible…" he muttered before running to him.

Red Hood saw the hero's approach and immediately threw a flashbang to the ground. Robin shielded his eyes from the proximity to the blast, and when the light dissipated, Hood was gone.

"You… saw his face?" Keemia asked, walking forward. "Do we have an identity?"

"Yeah… we do…" Robin breathed.

"Who is it then?"

Robin looked at her uncomfortably before grimacing. "His name is Jason Todd, and he used to be Robin."

"Wait, you mean there was a third Robin?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm the real third Robin. Jason worked with Batman before me." Tim admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story though," Tim nodded.

"Well, we should probably get out of here before the cops show up. And Hood- er… Jason is still out there. He might need help." Keemia frowned.

"Then I can tell it to you on the way over." Tim nodded before the two disappeared down a nearby dark alley.

* * *

After emerging from the alleyway, the two teen heroes ascended to the roof of a nearby building to take stock of their situation. After treating their lighter injuries, Keemia sat on the ground, drawing out a circle of magic sigils with her finger.

"What are those for?" Robin asked curiously, walking over to her side.

"I can use these to hopefully locate our wayward vigilante. It will take a bit of time to set up though, so you have the opportunity to explain what you know about him." Keemia mused with a small smirk.

"Fair enough." Tim sighed before sitting across from her. "It all started back when Dick first left to become Nightwing. He and Batman hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms back then. Mind you, they got better, but it was still a tense time for them. Batman was definitely finding the job more difficult without a dedicated sidekick like Dick by his side. Barbara was always around to help as Batgirl, but she wasn't always available to him. He desperately needed a Robin."

"So he found Jason?" she asked.

"Yep, stealing the tires from the Batmobile." Tim laughed.

"He tried to steal the tires… from the Batmobile?!" Keemia said in shock before joining Tim in his laughter. "God I wish I could have seen Batman's face. That would have been priceless!"

"Oh for sure. Batman was not feeling the aster at that moment." He laughed before catching his breath. "Anyway, as it turned out, Jason was an orphan living on the street. He'd been used as cheap labour by a vampiress supposedly, but after escaping her thrall, he had taken to petty crime to afford food. That's how he found Batman. Batman was surprised by his boldness but recognized his potential. He immediately took Jason under his wing and trained him to be the next Robin. And under Batman's tutelage, he flourished."

"He can't have been Robin for long though, otherwise we would have heard of him." Keemia frowned.

"Right in one. He was Robin before me, but he was only Robin for about six months after Dick had left. Despite his avid training and adept skill, he was becoming unruly, and dangerous." Tim sighed.

"Dangerous how?"

"He was becoming more violent against criminals. He was more savage with his fighting, and he regularly broke their bones. Numerous times Batman had to stop him from leaving irreparable harm." He explained.

"So this violence is nothing new for him then?" she asked.

"He never killed before. He never tried to kill anyone, he just… couldn't control his rage." Tim explained. "Eventually though, it caught up to him, and in the worst way. On one particular day when he and Batman went after Joker's gang, he ran off in pursuit of one of the gang members. Batman attempted to stop him, but he was slowed by Bob, Joker's lieutenant. As a result, Jason was lead into a trap without anyone to help him."

"Joker caught him then?"

"And worse than that, he tortured him." Tim grimaced. "He had him held captive for nearly two weeks, routinely beating him. Finally, it all ended. Joker left him for dead in a warehouse after beating him with a crowbar. Batman arrived on the scene after a painstaking search that took him halfway across the world for clues. By the time Batman had arrived at the warehouse… it exploded. Jason… Jason died in Batman's arms." He finished.

"Oh my God… that's awful." Keemia said, horrified.

"Batman wasn't the same after that. He became more and more violent as a result. He wanted vengeance and he nearly killed Joker as a result. It was only the timely arrival of Commissioner Gordon that stopped him. Batman was wounded, and he didn't have anyone to help. Alfred and Barbara were powerless to curb his new violent tendencies. But I wasn't."

"This is when you joined him?"

"Yep. I took notice of how unhinged he was becoming and realized that he needed someone to fill the role that Jason did. But first, I needed to be there for him as more than just a Robin. I needed to be there for the man behind the mask. I spent months researching and uncovering as much information as I could until I eventually had what I was looking for: I knew Batman's secret identity."

"You found his secret identify?!" she said in surprise. Batman was one of the most infamously tight-lipped and secretive heroes on the planet. The fact that Tim had managed to uncover his secret identity at ten years old, was astounding. "Have you found out anyone else's identity?"

"Nope. Haven't needed to, and I just don't want to." He shrugged.

"Alright… so what happened next?" she asked, now thoroughly enraptured in the tale.

"Well, with this information in tow, I set out towards Wayne Manor for a meeting with Bruce. Alfred let me inside and soon had me in front of his master. In no uncertain terms, I gave Bruce an ultimatum; I knew his identity, so I wanted to be his sidekick." Tim continued. "I knew he needed my help, and so did Alfred. But Bruce flat out refused me. He told me that he didn't want anyone to leech off of him for cheap thrills, and then he kicked me out the door. But I wasn't gone for long. I had my own uniform made, and this time, I had Alfred let me into the Batcave. There I was met with Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl. It was then that I informed him I was ready to learn."

"So, he took you on at this time?" Keemia inquired.

"Yep, albeit reluctantly. However, after the first few weeks, it became abundantly apparent to him why I asked to work with him. He's been thankful for that ever since. He might not ever admit it, but he appreciated what I've done for him." He sighed, a small smile having come over his face. His smile was soon replaced with a frown, however. "The only problem now is, how did Jason come back to life? How long ago did it happen?"

"Well, with my sigils finished, we can find out," Keemia smirked, lighting a match before dropping it on the ground. All of the sigils lit up with a burning orange light before Keemia began chanting in an unknown language. The light from the sigils soon glowed over her hands and eyes as she chanted louder. After a few minutes, the glowing stopped as she stood. "I have a location."

"Then let's move out," Tim nodded as Keemia took the lead, using her magic to cross rooftops, while Tim followed behind with his own acrobatics and grappling guns. As they moved, an unnatural silence fell over them. Their previous conversation seemingly cast aside as Keemia stoically took them through the city.

Tim soon decided that it was time to break the ice. "So, how are you and Ashley doing?"

"Uh… what do you mean Tim?" she asked nervously, a slow blush growing across her face.

"Well I mean, you're so close after all," he shrugged, catching up alongside her.

"Well yeah, I mean we're friends. Good friends." She said quickly.

" _Really_ good friends?" he pressed further, smirking wider.

"Just really good friends." She snapped quickly.

"But you want to be closer, don't you?" he asked. Keemia yelped in surprise at that before stumbling to the ground and crashing on the next roof over. Tim quickly landed nearby before moving to help her up. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she snapped, pushing him away as she stood and brushed herself off. "That was way out of line Tim!"

"Why, because you like her?" he asked.

"Yes!" she yelled before freezing and shaking her head. "I mean no… I mean… I… I-I don't know," she admitted, clutching her arm timidly.

"You don't know?" he questioned. "Well, how do you feel about her? What do you think about her?"

"I… she's a really good friend. I like her having her for company. She's really quiet and shy, but it just… endears me to her." She admitted, her face blushing darker. "She's been there for me a lot too. After Uncle Kent… died… she came to comfort me. I think… I think that made me like her as more than just a friend."

"So you do like her?"

"Yes, I already said that." She nodded. "I've always thought she was cute, but… I don't even know if I like girls that way. I mean I've never looked at guys like that, and I always try to get off the subject whenever Loma or Artemis start talking but, I never thought…"

"It's because you liked girls?" Tim concluded.

"Yeah, I think I do." She nodded. "I know my parents wouldn't hate me for it. They'd probably be okay. After all, Gregorio's gay, and he's a really good friend of theirs. But, I don't think Ace likes me that way." She sighed, looking away nervously.

"Well, how do you know that?" Tim asked. Keemia turned to answer but soon found that she couldn't counter his statement. Tim sighed, before continuing. "Think about it this way, you've only now come to grips with your feelings for her, and I'm going to assume that she might be having some similar thoughts. I've seen how close you are now, and I definitely think her telepathy has gone a long way to changing her emotional state."

"But I can't just tell her I like her! We're really close, I don't want to ruin our friendship. It could ruin the whole team after that, we could all just end up taking sides and discombobulated!" she raved.

"Well then, we're just gonna have to make sure they stay combobulated," Tim said with a smirk as Keemia slowly started to glare.

"Oh God, I gave you another one," she groaned, holding her face in her hands.

"Yep," Tim nodded, before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just think about it, okay? You've thought about what could happen if she doesn't feel the same way, but what if she does?" he asked, There was an extended silence as she mulled it over in her head. After a while, she sighed and gave a weak nod.

"Okay, I'll tell her. But not right away. I want to take the time to organize my feelings, make sure I know what I'll say, and how I'll approach her. I want this to be as seamless as possible."

"Good choice," Tim grinned. "Now, shall we continue the search for Jason?"

Keemia looked to him for a second before smirking in return. "Well, how else are we gonna help him? We can't be the only ones feeling the aster!" she declared before taking off again, Tim close behind her.

* * *

 **Downtown Gotham – August 28** **th** **, 21:03 EDT**

Despite the numerous bruises that he suffered as a result of the sudden explosion, Jason was able to get himself home without any trouble. He had only been the Red Hood for a few months, after having trained extensively over the last two years to ensure he was ready for his one-man crusade against crime. In that month, however, he had suffered far more debilitating injuries than simple bruising. For instance, it was during a particularly dangerous brawl against Croc that he had his shoulder dislocated.

"Thank god for Leslie Thompkins and her patient confidentiality." He mused with a bitter laugh before carefully sitting down in the musty old armchair in his apartment. With money hard to come by since the only reliable income he had was robbing the criminals he stopped, he had grown used to a meagre living. The apartment was small and grungy, and he was certain that a raccoon made its home in the dirty old fireplace but it was enough to keep him out of sight and relatively warm.

Still, the broken down domicile was a far cry from his previous lodging at Wayne Manor. As loathe as he was to admit it, he missed the nice soft beds and linen sheets. He missed smelling Alfred's home cooking, especially the cookies. He missed Dick's occasional visits, even if the older hero's insistence on calling him "Jaybird" got on his nerves more often than not.

He even at times missed Bruce's camaraderie. It was no surprise to anyone in the superhero community that Batman was an infamously cold and introverted crusader. But for those who were able to break through the billionaire's incredibly tough exterior shell, the man they found inside was one of the most loving, doting individuals they'd ever met. There was never a greater source of compassion and friendship than there was in a Bruce Wayne who trusted you.

The entire Batfamily knew this well, and it was one of the many reasons that they were so close-knit. When Bruce finally revealed his identity to Commissioner Gordon in order to save Barbara's life, the officer had initially been furious at the deception. However, he was quick to understand that it was only Barbara's insistence to keep it a secret from him that stopped Batman saying anything. Now Gordon was part of the rapidly growing family of vigilantes, and with Barbara now acting as Oracle instead of Batgirl, she was increasing the web more and more each day with the other vigilantes within the city.

For as much hatred and anger that Jason had directed at Bruce over the last few years in the wake of his own murder, there was still part of him, however small, that still loved his surrogate father. A part of him that desperately wanted to be welcomed back into the Batfamily as though nothing had happened.

He groaned painfully as he clutched his ribs, a sickeningly purple and yellow bruise rapidly growing across his chest. It hurt him to breathe, but he struggled through the pain in order to sit up straight, slowly sipping the glass of water he left on the coffee table.

"That looks painful." Keemia mused, appearing through the open window. Jason looked at her sharply in surprise, drawing his pistol before wincing again in pain at the rapid movement. Seems there was more to the injury than a simple bruise.

"What do you want from me?" Jason coughed painfully, looking at Djinn with a scathing glare as Robin entered the window alongside her.

"To help you," she said simply. "I can help with your injury."

"I don't need your charity." Jason countered while Keemia simply rolled her eyes.

" **Laeh sih seirujni** ," she said lazily, as Jason scoffed.

"Oh yeah, and what's that supposed to—augh!" he cried painfully as Keemia's magic quickly set and mended the ribs he didn't know were broken. A few seconds later, his bruise started shrinking until it had entirely disappeared, along with his pain. "Uh… thank you," he said, albeit reluctantly as Keemia simply nodded once in response.

"Now that you can move without hurting yourself further, we could use your help," Robin said, looking at Jason carefully.

"Really? You need my help?" Jason questioned before giving a mirthless laugh. "Why not call the Bat? After all, he was so quick to hire a replacement for me."

"Batman didn't hire me to replace you. I went to him." Tim corrected, glaring at the older vigilante.

"You went to him? Do you have a death wish or something?" Jason asked in surprise, starting to remove the bandages he wore, seeing as he had no use for them now that Keemia healed him.

"No, I did it to save him," Tim said as Jason gave him a questioning glance. "As much as you might not want to believe it when you… died… he was left heartbroken. He had you in his arms and he was still unable to save you. Do you know how desperate he was?" Tim asked seriously, while Jason simply rolled his eyes.

"No, how desperate was he?" Jason asked snidely, only for Keemia to smack him upside the head.

"He tried to make a deal with Ra's Al Ghul to use the Lazarus Pit," Tim said as Jason's eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

"He tried to make a deal with Ra's Al Ghul? He almost left himself owing a favour to the Head of the Demon? All… all for me?" he asked carefully, still in a state of disbelief.

"Yeah, he did. Ra's said no, obviously, but Batman was undeterred. He searched relentlessly for a solution. And when he couldn't find one… he turned violent." Tim continued, as Jason looked at him carefully, urging the younger hero to go on. "He nearly killed the Joker in retaliation. No one in Gotham was safe from his ire after you died. He came so close to crossing that line, all for you."

That one revelation sent Jason reeling, as the older vigilante fell back onto his couch, holding his head in surprise. Batman's strong moral code was punctuated by one rule above all others; no killing. It was what the bat sigil had grown to mean, and it was the codifier by which all members of the Batfamily lived by. To hear that Bruce almost broke it…

"I… can't believe it." He muttered, looking at his hands guiltily. "I spent months training, working the hardest I ever have worked, to become the hero Gotham needs. A more effective vigilante, ridding the streets of crime. I thought that Batman was weak… that he failed when he showed mercy. But… he was weak for forgetting to show it. He was weak because he almost broke his one command. I nearly caused him to throw away his life's work!" he yelled, his eyes brimming with tears he had held in since he came back.

Tim moved to his side before sitting next to him, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder. "It's okay, it's not too late to stop. To change the path you're on."

Jason was silent, letting the tears flow before he looked up at Tim. "I trained so long to become the Red Hood. I wanted to become a new vigilante, my own person. Outside of Bruce's shadow, and his morals…" he trailed off, wiping his face. "But who am I kidding? I want to be back. I want to be back in the family, I want to work with Dick again… I want to work with Bruce again."

"Well, you can still do that." Keemia offered. "Granted, you won't be Robin again, since that position is filled, but you can still rejoin them."

"Would… would he let me?" Jason asked.

"Well, you're still fairly new. Nothing's been attributed to you either. It might be hard to overcome your own misgivings to yourself, but soon enough you will. All I know is that Bruce will be relieved to know he didn't fail you." Tim smiled. Jason nodded back to him, his tears finally slowing, as Tim carefully removed his mask. "Tim Drake, but you know me as Robin."

"Jason Todd, but you already knew that. I guess you can keep calling me Red Hood." He smirked before shaking Tim's outstretched hand. As he did though, he saw Keemia's bewildered face as she looked at Tim. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, she will. She's just never seen me without the mask… or without dark sunglasses. My guess is that seeing my whole face is leaving her a little whelmed." Tim smirked.

"Whelmed?" Jason questioned as Keemia suddenly shot forward to Tim.

"Oh no, you are **NOT** gonna get him started on this too!" she said with a scowl. "It's bad enough that you got Conner on board, but you can't just rope every new person into doing it!"

"So this is his thing then? Butchering the English language?" Jason asked with a laugh.

"Not butchering, mending. I'm finding missing words!" Tim corrected with a grin. "It's not my fault that it leaves everyone discombobulated."

"Well, maybe they should be a little more combobulated," Jason smirked before Keemia groaned in defeat.

"Augh, I'm too late." She grimaced, folding her arms in defeat. The two boys grinned before laughing at her expense, as Tim gave Keemia a coy smirk.

"Don't worry about it Keems, we'll get you to feel the aster soon enough." He said before being cuffed upside the head by Keemia. Although, she only struck half-heartedly as she fixed him with her own smirk.

"You can try," she chuckled before looking to Jason. "But now that we've got that straightened out, we really do need your help."

Tim nodded at that as Jason looked at them curiously. "It's pretty obvious from earlier that Snowflame caught us by surprise. He's clearly powerful, and regardless of Keemia's magic we might be a little out of our depth."

"Besides, we have no clue if he's working with anyone else," Keemia added. "He might have an entire gang behind him, and we could use all the help we could get."

"Don't you have anyone else to help with that?" Jason frowned, putting his shirt back on.

"We really don't. The rest of our team are all on their weeks off, and the League isn't exactly a group we want involved in this." Tim explained, putting his mask on. "We want to prove we can handle this ourselves."

"And you really want me along with you?" Jason asked before looking at his costume for a moment. He moved the damaged armour aside before entering a nearby closet. When he emerged, he had brand new, undamaged armour on, before grabbing his leather jacket from a nearby chair. "I guess I could help out."

"Awesome!" Tim said eagerly as Keemia nodded.

"Thank you for doing this," she said before frowning. "However, there's one condition we have."

"What's that?" Jason asked as he took a new, undamaged helmet from the closet.

"No killing." She said seriously.

Jason looked at her, almost condescendingly before relenting with a sigh. "Yeah, that makes sense to me. I got rubber bullets so I can handle myself. Just as long as I can bring my knives." He added, putting his helmet on.

"As long as you use them in a non-lethal capacity, then that shouldn't be a problem," Keemia nodded as Tim urged them towards the window.

"Let's get going. It's a long way to Blüdhaven, even by Bioship." He said, before Keemia suddenly stopped in her tracks, fixing Tim with an incredulous look.

"Wait, you stole M'Gann's Bioship?!" Keemia asked in shock, as Tim blinked twice.

"Uh… yes?"

* * *

 **Blüdhaven – August 28** **th** **, 21:26 EDT**

While the three spent most of the journey to Blüdhaven in silence, Keemia was using her magic to attempt to track Snowflame in a similar way to how she had tracked Jason. Ultimately it proved rather difficult as she had even less to go off of than she had with Jason, but she eventually had tracked him down to a large warehouse that lay near the docks. Several large c-cans lay around the warehouse, almost like a protective barrier, while a large ship was docked offshore. The Venezuelan flag could be seen flying proudly from the mast as Tim brought the Bioship down to a careful landing on a neighbouring rooftop.

"Looks pretty deserted. What do you think the odds are that there will be tons of goons inside?" Keemia mused dryly as Tim used some binoculars to peek through the windows of the warehouse.

"I would have said likely, but now I'm not sure. I think it might actually be worse," he grimaced.

"Worse? How could it be worse?" Keemia scoffed before snatching the binoculars from Tim and looking through the windows. Following his earlier vantage point, she saw several small figures flying around inside. Upon closer inspection, they proved to be all too familiar robots.

"MONQIs… Ivo's in there." She scowled as Jason folded his arms.

"I thought Ivo was dead?" he said as Tim nodded.

"That's what we thought too. Until a few weeks ago."

"Turns out it was all one big façade. Think he's trying to make an Amazo 3?" she asked worriedly.

"Maybe. Doesn't explain why he would be in the same warehouse as Snowflame though." Tim frowned.

"Well, maybe we should find out," Jason said before pulling out what looked to be a silver disc. "Special stealth EMP. It'll take down any robots, and give us a bit of a fairer fight."

"Sounds good to me." Keemia nodded. "So, shall we use the door? Or something a little more dramatic?"

* * *

"And you're sure those children didn't follow you?" Ivo asked skeptically as he put down the tools he was using to mend several pieces of metal together.

"Si, I'm sure. They didn't seem too strong, I was able to put them out of the fight with little effort." Snowflame nodded, idly flicking a lighter with his right hand.

"Hmph, I'm still unconvinced," Ivo scowled, motioning for one of his MONQIs to hand him another tool from a nearby workbench. "You still haven't told me their identities yet. They could have been rank amateurs like you said, but not every child is as untrained as you say."

"Please, I don't understand the big fuss," Snowflame chuckled. "It was just one of the Bat-brats. Robin, I believe. And some sorceress. Nothing too impressive."

"Robin? Did you say… _Robin?!_ " Ivo repeated, before turning to his MONQIs. "Observe the perimeter, now! They cannot be allowed in here!" he ordered. The MONQIs nodded and were about to fly off and complete their orders before a silver disc landed on the floor and shot out a powerful EMP wave. Every one of the androids shuddered before collapsing uselessly on the ground. Seconds later, the skylight overhead shattered as Robin, Red Hood, and Djinn landed between the two villains.

"Why yes, he did," Robin smirked as he drew his Bo staff and took a fighting stance. "Surrender now Ivo, and maybe you can still walk away from this."

"Better yet, don't surrender, so we can punch you in your stupid face." Keemia offered with a smirk.

"Just for the record, I'm a bigger fan of option number two." Jason chimed in as he raised his pistols and aimed one at each of the two villains.

"I told you not to underestimate them." Ivo scolded his compatriot, who merely shrugged in response.

"Guess you were right then Ese. Sorry." Snowflame shrugged, before raising his hands in a mock surrender.

"It's not like you to work with a drug runner Ivo. So what gives?" Tim asked, keeping his eyes trained on the villainous scientist.

"Simple, I need money to continue my work." the scientist answered plainly. "Since you children destroyed my Amazo 2, as well as sending the Justice League following any lead to try and track me down, I was left without an easy way to acquire the materials needed for an Amazo 3. Money isn't easy to acquire when you're a wanted criminal who needs to keep a low profile." he sighed wistfully. "Anyways, I figured that the drug trade would have been an easy way to get the funding necessary. The only trouble is that I didn't exactly have anything to offer any of the usual customers."

"Except for me," Snowflame said with a small smirk. "See, at first I didn't care for what he could offer. I already have millions of dollars worth of product, and I'm a metahuman. I didn't see a need for Ivo at first. But, he had something I desperately needed."

"What would that be?" Keemia asked suspiciously.

"Control," Ivo answered as Snowflame pulled back his sleeves to reveal what appeared to be metal gauntlets around his forearms. "See, my compatriot here generates power from snorting cocaine. Superhuman strength, durability, reflexes, and speed. As well as producing volatile explosions. However, he lacked the ability to control these explosions, and would detonate without any warning."

"But these gizmos here? He made these for me. Now, I can control my blasts as I see fit." Snowflame laughed. "It leaves me more powerful than ever. Now I can finally live to my full potential."

"Well, it's too bad for you then that you won't be getting to use your new control anytime soon." Red Hood smirked under his helmet. "We got you outnumbered, and there's no way you can take any more coke without us stopping you first."

"See, that's where you're wrong niño. I already took some." Snowflame laughed as his eyes glowed white, and bright white flames started to encircle his hands. "Control over your abilities is such a lovely thing."

"Crap, get down!" Keemia shouted as she dove for cover with Robin and Red Hood close behind her. It proved to be just in time as Snowflame threw a ball of white flames that exploded where they once stood. Just like the villain said, he had full control over the explosions, which was proved as he had weakened the power and intensity substantially to reduce the harm to his surroundings.

"That guy is not feeling the aster," Tim grimaced.

"Enough with the aster!" Keemia scowled before magic swirled around her fingers. "Listen, I'll take care of the cokehead, you two go after Ivo!" she said before leaping from behind the crates, and looking at Snowflame with a frown.

"Ah, so you're the brave one of the group, eh chica?" he chuckled. "Well it's rather rude to hit a little lady, don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but that won't stop this lady from hitting you back," she smirked as the magic energy around her fingers seemed to grow more intense.

"Heh, well now you're just making it interesting," he laughed before his own hands glowed. He then pointed them both at Keemia before firing a myriad of smaller explosions almost like bullets. Keemia immediately conjured a shield to protect herself from the rapid burst of attacks.

"That all you got?" she asked with a cocky grin before a summoning circle suddenly appeared around his feet. " **Llaf otni eht roolf!** " she called out before Snowflame suddenly started to sink into the concrete. He halted his attack as he looked down in alarm until he was buried in the concrete down to his ribs.

"So you fancy yourself a bruja, do you?" he asked her. "No matter." He shrugged before using a smaller blast to detonate the floor until he was free. After climbing out of the hole he blasted, he quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a stream of fire that Keemia sent right at him.

While his ally was otherwise occupied, Ivo tried to take his leave as he ran around a nearby stack of crates to hide. However, he was met with Red Hood and Robin waiting for him. "Well at least he's accepting his fate," Red Hood said, bemused, while Tim twirled his staff idly.

"It's just not your day, is it Ivo?" the Boy Wonder chuckled, while Ivo simply shrugged.

"I suppose not. But then again, not every attempt is a successful one." Ivo smirked before pulling out a remote and pressing a button. As he did, a large mechanical suit leapt from across the warehouse to where Ivo was waiting. Red Hood and Robin dodged out of the way as the bulky suit landed on the ground where they were just standing. Ivo chuckled before climbing inside and turning on the suit. It looked almost as though Ivo had made himself a gorilla-shaped suit of armour. "Hopefully this pursuit will prove to be more advantageous than the last."

"Huh. You take left, I take right?" Jason offered.

"Just keep mobile, and keep out of reach." Tim nodded, pressing a button on his staff as electricity seemed to crackle from both ends.

"Can do." he nodded, readying his pistols before the two shot forwards. Ivo raised the arms of the suit, ready to crush the two of them, only to miss and strike the floor instead. As he did, Robin jabbed his staff into the elbow joint of the left arm, while Red Hood focused repeated fire to the left. While the initial damage caused the suit to start seizing, it quickly recovered as Ivo moved to strike them again. He grasped Robin's cape before throwing him towards Red Hood.

Red Hood caught the younger hero before the two jumped out of harm's way again as Ivo's fist punched forward through a nearby crate. "Could you please hold still? This is most irritating," Ivo scowled before two laser guns emerged from his shoulders, rapidly firing at the two.

"Now, why would we want to do that?" Hood asked before putting his guns away. As he did, he would reach for his belt buckle, drawing numerous shuriken. With one swift throw, he sent them flying through the air until they struck the two laser guns. The guns sparked before exploding as Ivo stumbled back.

"Now that was just rude!" Ivo scowled before aiming a vicious right hook at Jason. Yet again, the hero managed to dodge and Ivo punched another crate. Only this time, the arm was stuck. Seizing the opportunity, Robin thrust his staff completely through the elbow joint before maxing out the voltage on the electric shock.

Electricity coursed up through the arm and all through Ivo's body, causing the scientist to cry out in pain as he tried to escape. In his attempt, he inadvertently tore the arm completely off of the mech from where Robin had caught the elbow. He looked at the now damaged mech in alarm as Robin and Red Hood regrouped.

"How about that? It's easier to destroy than we thought." Robin grinned.

"I assure you, that won't be happening again," Ivo seethed before pressing a button, as a crackling barrier suddenly surrounded the suit. As Robin and Red Hood attempted to attack it again, the barrier deflected each of their strikes. "I admit, I probably should have done this from the start, but then again hindsight is 20/20."

"Guess we'll need something stronger to break through that shield," Robin grimaced.

"Got anything on that utility belt for that?" Hood asked before Ivo rushed at the two of them in an almost berserker rage.

Meanwhile, Keemia and Snowflame continued to trade blows with each other, neither one gaining any ground. Snowflame focused on larger and more powerful blasts, while Keemia used conjured shields to deflect or absorb his attacks. While there was still a clear sense of enmity between the two, there was also a sense of amusement. Almost as though the two were more focused on the fun of the combat.

"I gotta say chica, you're at least making this entertaining for me," Snowflame grinned before firing a focused beam of explosive energy at her.

"Right back at you. I can't remember the last time I had a decent beam fight; **Tcerider!** " she said before taking control of the beam, harmlessly sending it twirling around her body, before she flung it back at Snowflame.

Snowflame looked on in surprise before holding his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the redirected attack. The force sent him skidding back a few feet, as the raw energy of the explosion tore and singed his jacket. Finally, the beam subsided as he looked up at her, panting from the exertion of standing against the attack.

"That… hurt," he panted before standing up straight again. Despite the damage to his suit, he still straightened out his jacket as though nothing had happened. "Time for the amateur acts to end, bruja. Now? We finish this."

Keemia looked out of the corner of her eye carefully, noticing how Ivo now had both Red Hood and Robin pinned to the ground. "Yeah, sounds good to me," she nodded, as Snowflame laughed.

"You got some spirit in you chica," he chuckled before his entire body glowed with bright white light. "I'm almost reluctant to attack you like this. Almost," he smirked before firing the biggest burst of explosive energy that he could muster right at her. Keemia watched the beam approach, waiting for the opportune moment. Then, at the last possible second:

" **Hctiws em htiw ovi!** "

In an instant, both she and Ivo disappeared in a burst of light, before reappearing in opposite positions. Keemia was left, holding Robin and Red Hood down to the floor, while Ivo and his mech suit suddenly appeared right in front of Snowflame's attack.

"Oh dear…" he muttered in alarm before the beam struck him, causing a massive explosion. Keemia pressed herself closer to the floor, shielding the two boys as the blast wave roared overhead. When it died down, the three stood back up, carefully surveying their surroundings.

Ivo's mech suit was destroyed, and the mad professor was left on the floor, painfully clutching his head as he struggled to sit up. "Thank goodness for small favours… and strong shields." He chuckled weakly as the three moved over to surround him.

"Well, guess that's as much luck as you'll get Ivo," Keemia smirked before looking around with a frown. "Too bad the same can't be said for Snowflame."

At that, the others looked around in surprise to see that Snowflame had escaped in the chaos. "Don't worry, we'll get him eventually," Tim assured. "In the meantime, we should probably call in the League."

"Yeah, I guess so. After all, we did solve their problem." Keemia nodded before conjuring handcuffs to arrest Ivo.

"If you call in the League… would he come?" Jason asked, unsure of the answer.

"He might. And if he does, now's as good a time as any to tell him." Tim said, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

"And at the very least, we'll be here for you when that happens." Keemia nodded.

Jason looked at the two for a moment, silent as he thought it over. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Okay, let's do this."

* * *

After making a quick call to the League, the response was almost instant. Almost a dozen Leaguers were now patrolling the warehouse, digging up as much material as they could for the case. Within a few minutes, they'd uncovered numerous MONQIs, as well as an incomplete Amazo 3, and several containers still filled to the brim with cocaine. With almost three million dollars of product and clear malicious intent with the androids, Ivo was swiftly taken away to Belle Revve penitentiary.

"Good work you two," Batman nodded to Robin and Djinn. "While I can't say I approve of you two going behind the backs of League, or else stealing property from your own friends to do so, you achieved results. And you saved us a great deal of time and resources."

"Hey, it was nothing," Keemia assured, looking down at the ground as she held her arm timidly. "It's nice to be back in the field again."

Batman looked at her, nodding in understanding as his face remained neutral. "I know your pain firsthand. But it's how you adapt and move on from it that will define you. If you need more time to come to terms with Kent's passing, we can arrange that for you. Kent was a dear friend to all of us, and we all are with you in your time of mourning."

"I really appreciate that Batman, but I think I'm okay to return to active duty. I'm not sure if I've moved on completely, but I will. I want to return to my team though." She said carefully.

"Then consider yourself back on active duty." Batman nodded. "Now, is there anything else you need to report?"

"Well, there is one thing we need to tell you," Robin nodded. "We had a little bit of outside help with this case."

"Another hero?" Batman questioned.

"In a way, yes." Tim nodded, only to shrink slightly as Batman narrowed his eyes into an all too familiar glare. "I think it would be best if we just showed him to you."

Batman looked at the two suspiciously, before gesturing for them to lead onward. Djinn and Robin walked outside with him before stopping just short of an adjacent alleyway. "Alright, we're here, and we brought him," Keemia called. "You can come out."

There was a brief silence before Red Hood slowly stepped out. Batman's glare narrowed as Robin gestured to the new vigilante. "This is Red Hood. Don't worry, his guns have rubber bullets. But, I think you'll know him a little better than most…"

As he said that, Red Hood slowly reached for his helmet before removing it. As he did, Bruce saw all too familiar red hair tumble out. It might have been matched by a white streak in his bangs, but there was no mistaking that hair. Not with those piercing blue eyes.

"Hey Bruce… it's been a while, hasn't it?" Jason asked with a dry chuckle.

"Jason…" Batman whispered before immediately rushing towards him. In a move that was entirely unlike anything expected of Batman, the older hero swept Jason into a tight hug, as his body wracked with silent sobs. "Jason is it you? Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it is." Jason nodded, his own tears falling freely. "And I'm sorry. I should have fought harder, I should have been more careful! I shouldn't have gone after the clown, I should have just waited for you like you said!" he ranted hysterically before Batman cut him off.

"Jason, listen to me; it doesn't matter!" he said seriously, looking Jason in the eyes as tears slowly trickled from the bottom of his cowl. "I'm just… I'm just glad you're okay." He whispered before hugging him again.

Djinn and Robin watched with warm smiles at the reunion of the two, making sure to give them as long as they needed to properly reconnect. After several minutes, the two finally broke apart as Batman nodded to Jason. "Thank you for your help today Jason."

"Hey, it's what you taught me to do." Jason shrugged, folding his arms.

"In any case, I'm glad to see you continuing the good fight. For what it's worth, you're always welcome in the Batcave." Batman smiled as Jason nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, I'm just glad to be back in the family." He smiled. "But there is something I wanted to ask you if that's okay."

"Yes? What is it?" Batman inquired.

"I heard you got a team together for the rug rats," he smirked, gesturing to Djinn and Robin with his head. "I want in."

"You wish to join the team?" Batman asked, his eyebrow cocked in barely visible surprise while Djinn grinned.

"He's got my vote," she said eagerly as Batman thought it over.

"Alright, if that's what you want, then it can be arranged." He agreed as Jason nodded gratefully.

"Thank you Bruce, this means a lot to me," Jason said with a smile before putting the helmet back on. Batman looked at him carefully before nodding back, the faintest of smiles on his face.

"It's my pleasure, Jason."

* * *

 **Lafayette, Louisiana – August 29** **th** **, 20:14 CDT**

Ashley stared out the window of her bedroom, her thoughts muddled and unfocused. It seemed like they were becoming this way more and more often lately. Ever since Keemia kissed her cheek a few days prior, her thoughts kept wandering back to her best friend and teammate. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she wanted to be more than friends. The idea certainly appealed to her, but she still had her own doubts. Which was why she was staring blankly out of her window, much like she had done for the last few days.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice called as Ashley turned around quickly, seeing Waller standing in her doorway expectantly. "You seem rather focused. You're using your telekinesis reflexively again."

Sure enough, Ashley's intense focus was causing several of the items around her room to become levitated in the air by her telekinesis. "Oh… sorry…" she said sheepishly before focusing as she set the items down.

"There's no need to apologize," Waller assured her, before stepping forward. "Something on your mind?"

"Yes, but I don't know if you'd want to hear it," Ashley said timidly.

"Of course I want to hear it. You don't have to tell me anything if you're not comfortable though," she said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Well… okay," Ashley sighed before beginning. "See, I think I have a crush on somebody, and I think they might like me back. I mean, I heard their thoughts already, so I know they do…"

"I'll stop you right there. I'll make a call to Floyd, see if he can't scare this person into behaving properly." Waller said, her mouth twitched in a hint of a smirk.

"What? No!" Ashley said, her eyes wide in horror. "You can't send Deadshot after her!"

At that, Waller paused, her face now inquisitive. "So it's a girl you like then?"

Ashley froze before looking down sheepishly. "Y-yeah… I know it's not exactly normal… but I really think I like her."

"Ashley, of course it's normal. I'm not about to tell you that it's wrong to like another girl. If that's who you like, then that's fine." Waller assured her. "Now, do you want to pursue something more with her?"

"Yeah… I do." Ashley nodded.

"Then you go right ahead and do that. I'm not about to force you to act without being comfortable with what you're doing, but I at least want you to keep an open mind about it." Waller advised. "If you want some more advice on this, I could try and get Quinn down here. She knows more about this sort of thing than I do."

"Yeah… it might be nice to talk to her about it." Ashley nodded. "Thanks Mrs. Waller."

"It's my pleasure Ashley," Waller smiled, kissing her forehead before walking back out the door. Before she left, however, she stopped and turned back to Ashley. "Are you sure you don't want me to send Lawton? All he needs to do is scare them into behaving properly."

"I'm sure." Ashley laughed, the tension having been thoroughly broken.

"Alright, if you're sure. Goodnight Ashley." Waller nodded before walking out.

"Goodnight Mrs. Waller." Ashley sighed contentedly before looking out the window once more. Again her thoughts wandered back to Keemia Marko, only this time, they now held an excited optimism over what the future could hold for them.

* * *

 **Gotham City – August 29** **th** **, 20:26 EDT**

"Alright Bruce, what did you call us here for?" Dick asked impatiently, leaning against the Batcomputer. The former Robin was enjoying a peaceful night off with his girlfriend Kori but was soon interrupted by Bruce when the billionaire said he had something important to show him. Soon enough, Dick found himself in the Batcave alongside Barbara, Kori, Alfred, and Tim.

"Don't be rude Dick, I'm sure he wouldn't have called us if it wasn't important." Barbara admonished him. The former Batgirl, while not being an active hero anymore, was still an important member of the Batfamily. As the now wheelchair-bound Oracle, she managed the vigilantes of Gotham with absolutely impeccable accuracy and effectiveness.

"Yes, please have the patience, boyfriend Dick. I'm sure this is imperative for all of us," Kori nodded before she hugged Dick closely. At his girlfriend's insistence, Dick sighed before reluctantly nodding.

"I'm sorry Bruce, please continue." He said as Bruce nodded to Dick.

"Thank you Dick. Now, while this is something that Tim already knows, I believe it's essential that you all know this as well," Bruce began before looking off to the side. "You can come out now."

Alfred, Dick, Barbara, and Kori each turned to where Bruce was looking just seconds before as a figure slowly emerged from the shadows. As soon as the figure stepped into the light, the four of them were immediately shocked at the sight. It was Alfred who came out of his stupor first.

"Master Jason…" the butler whispered before rushing forwards and hugging the boy.

"Hey Alfred, sorry for worrying you," he joked lightly before Dick rushed over next.

"Is that really you Jaybird?" Dick asked as Jason nodded.

"Yeah, it's me." He greeted before hugging the man he saw as an older brother. After reconnecting with him, he moved on to Kori, hugging the Tamaranean girl. "Hey Kori, it's been a while."

While he might not have known Kori as long as he knew the others, it still warmed his heart to see her again. And clearly, judging by her reaction, she was just as relieved to have him back. "Friend Jason, I thought we had lost you forever." she sobbed openly, hugging him close.

"I thought I would never be back. It's good to be wrong though." he sighed before reluctantly letting go and moving on to Barbara. Once he overcame his initial shock of hearing she was in a wheelchair, all he could feel now was guilt that he couldn't have been there to help her. "Hey Babs…" he greeted, unsure.

"Welcome back Jason." the girl smiled before hugging him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there for you. You might have needed me, and I couldn't have been there." Jason said shamefully before Barbara lightly thwacked him upside the head.

"None of that now, it's over and done with. I might be wheelchair-bound, but I'm still a member of this family. Oracle watches from above now." she smirked, before gesturing to the headset she had around her neck.

"And this family is now back together. Stronger than ever." Bruce said, the faintest of smiles on his face as he gathered the family around him.

"Not to be rude Master Jason, but how exactly did you come to return to us?" Alfred asked curiously. The others stopped and looked at him expectantly, awaiting his answer. Jason simply blushed sheepishly, looking away before shrugging.

"I'm sorry but… I really don't know. After I… died… I just woke up on the side of a mountain. I don't know how I got there, or why. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help than that." He sighed before Bruce put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright Jason, no one's upset over this. We're just glad you're okay now." Bruce assured him, before stepping back to the computer. "And with you back in Gotham and in the Batfamily again, it's time we rearranged the patrol shifts."

The others groaned playfully at this before Tim smirked. "I guess that was always inevitable, wasn't it?"

"Too bad it couldn't be evitable, eh Tim?" Jason mused as the younger sidekick grinned.

"Now you're getting it!"

* * *

 **Mount Justice – September 3** **rd** **, 18:02 EDT**

" _Recognized: Djinn B-04, Robin B-01, Red Hood B-10._ " The automated voice of the computer read as the three young heroes were teleported into their base of operations. "Welcome to the clubhouse Jason, hope you enjoy your stay," Keemia grinned, gesturing grandly to the cave.

"Looks really cozy," he mused, looking around. While his outfit hadn't changed much, his Kevlar chest armour now included a deep red bat symbol, emblazoned proudly across his chest. As the three entered, they were soon greeted by other members of the team, save for Aqualad who had yet to arrive.

"Welcome back Keems." Barry greeted as the two friends hugged, albeit awkwardly. The tension between the two might have been lessened, but they were still working on rebuilding their friendship.

"Good to be back, Barry." She nodded before Conner gestured to Jason.

"Who's this?"

"This is Red Hood, he's our new teammate." Robin grinned as Jason removed his helmet, shaking Superboy's hand.

"Jason Todd, nice to meet you." he greeted as Conner nodded.

"Conner, and likewise. If you're a friend of Keemia's I guess you gotta be okay," the clone smirked as Keemia simply huffed.

"Gee, thanks Con." She scowled playfully before walking over to Ashley. "You been keeping these rascals in line for me?"

"As best as I can." Ace shrugged before hugging Keemia. "It's good to see you back here, Keemia."

"Thank you, it's good to be back Ashley." Keemia smiled before hugging her friend close. As she did, her thoughts once again began to wander. 'There's that feeling again. But I know now what to do. I'm going to ask her out. Maybe not today, but soon' she decided, a light blush across her face.

Ace wore her own matching blush as she heard her teammate's thoughts, however, she simply gave a determined nod. This was going to be something they tried in the future, and they'd both try their hardest to make it work. Of that, she was sure.

Batman watched the team idly from where he was typing away on one of the computer holoscreens. With the rest of the team now assembled, all they needed to wait for now was the arrival of Kaldur. Sure enough, they wouldn't have to wait much longer as the teleporter flared to life again. " _Recognized: Aqualad B-02._ " The computer recited as Kaldur appeared in a flash of light.

While he had been away, Atlantis was attacked by Black Manta and his troopers, who were attempting to steal a frozen specimen that was being examined by the resident scientists of Atlantis. While the villain ultimately failed, the specimen was destroyed, save for one small fragment which was rapidly regenerating. It was Prince Orm, the brother of Aquaman who had suggested sending it to the surface world for further study. Aquaman readily agreed to the idea and sent it off to Gotham just a few minutes before Kaldur returned.

Batman didn't look up from the computer as he heard Kaldur approach. "Made your decision?" He asked expectantly.

"The decision is made. I am here. One hundred percent," Kaldur said decisively. Batman gave a small, curt nod as the rest of the team gathered around the two of them.

"Just in time for your next mission," the Dark Knight said as he called up a map on the holoscreen for the team to look at. "The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan Desert…"

* * *

 **Boom! Another chapter done!**

 **First, there is some housekeeping to take care of, so I'll do the minor stuff first.**

 **Bob, the Joker's henchman from the 1989 Batman movie, is now canon in this universe. Make of that what you will (I couldn't let Joker's number one guy die like that. No way!).**

 **Snowflame is now here! I have wanted to write this guy for so long. And granted, he isn't nearly as crazy as he's usually depicted ("COCAINE IS MY GOD AND I AM AN INSTRUMENT OF IT'S WILL!" -Snowflame, 1987), but I thought maybe a more subdued take could work. Bottom line, I just wanted him around for longer.**

 **Ivo has actually been caught on screen. Now it will make sense when he shows up in "Terrors".**

 **Barry is researching magic and the supernatural to learn all he can. After spending so long denying it, and seriously fracturing his relationship with Keemia in the process, I figured it would be a nice compromise for him to decide to learn. After all, he's an academic, and he's now being presented and entirely new field to research and learn about. How could he NOT say yes to that?**

 **Barbara is now Oracle. For an idea of when this happened, it was shortly after the end of JLU that the "killing joke" occurred. This will also have a significant effect on a certain harlequin...**

 **Keemia and Ashley's feelings have finally been confirmed! They're not yet consolidated, but almost! So close!**

 **And now, for the big one: Red Hood. First of all, him joining the team was always in the plan. As far as I see it, he's about 17 years old, which makes him tied with Kaldur for the oldest member of the team, if not older. This is to further consolidate the timeline between B:TAS and TNBA, as well as the skip to Justice League as far as aging goes. Furthermore, kudos to Lady Pond for being able to guess that he would join. But now, for his characterization. We've always seen Jason as a very violent and angry individual, someone who just wants vengeance done, and to kill every criminal he can. But here's the thing; my Jason is still just a kid. He's not even 18 yet, so why SHOULD he be wholesale killing. Granted, he's already done that in this chapter (and it's presumed before this point), but we're gonna see how it wears on his psyche in the future. A kid killing someone is definitely some heavy material. He's also not nearly as angry at Bruce now. I see their relationship here being more like how their relationship is in DC Rebirth (At least until the recent DC fuckery that has completely ruined Batman's relation to him. Damn it...), where there is a support structure there. Jason will still be more violent and angry, but he's not outwardly homicidal anymore. His reason to kill was to make a point to a Batman who he thought would never cross the line. So hearing that Batman almost did, and all for him? That, I feel, is more than enough reason to shake him up a bit. To change how his character is portrayed for the future. His dynamic with the team? Well that'll just be icing on the cake. But we'll see where that goes.**

 **So, that should just about cover it, eh?**

 **Tune in next time though, when the team will be left in the desert... and completely Bereft...**

 **As always be sure to read and review!**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	9. Bereft

**Well folks, it's official: I'm back!**

 **Sorry for the extended hiatus that I've been on. It's been almost three months since I last updated, and I can't apologize enough for being gone. university just decided to hit hard and hit fast, and I'm only now catching up. I would like to thank all of you for sticking around as long as you have. Any lesser audience would have left after such a long dry spell, but not you guys. It means so much that you're still here.**

 **Now in more tragic news, just recently we lost Stan Lee. The man was my hero, and he was responsible for some of our most beloved heroes, and he certainly made some of my favourites. One of which went on to become the Sandman that I know and love. Without Stan, there would be no Sandman Unlimited, or Alchemic Justice. So now, let us all show the proper respect befitting such an icon. RIP Stan Lee, time to put the pencils away. You did good. Excelsior!**

 **And thank you for all of your reviews that you've left. They're always fantastic to see. Let's check them out, shall we?:**

 **CRUDEN: Yeah I get it, "Jason forgave too easily" and "his crusade ended too fast". I accept those points. however, allow me to remind you that in this canon I stated that he'd only been Red Hood for a few months at most. He hasn't had that long to stew on it. And he's substantially younger than most other incarnations, only being 17 here. I acknowledge that I probably did a shit job there, but I at least have a reason for it.**

 **rmarcano321: Heh, how could I possibly forget about Bob? He's the number one guy for a reason! What inspired me to create these fics? That's literally just my love for Flint Marko, and the fact that Keemia hasn't really been utilized. Like at all. And there isn't really any unifying theme between the two, except maybe for growth, redemption, and evolution of character (Maybe?).**

 **TheGreatGodzilla: Um... well clearly Keemia is the team sorceress. She has been since day one. It even says so in the description? And her relationship with Zatanna is an extremely loving and positive one, not just as mother/daughter, but also teacher, student? I mean, I thought that was clear. And the only people aware of the other universes are as follows: DC - The Justice League, Amanda Waller, Galatea. Marvel - The Avengers and allies (X-Men, Heroes for Hire etc.), SHIELD (possibly), Flint, Shocker, Rhino, Keemia, and Salamandra. None of the villains on either side know at all about the other universe. Much less, do they have ways to get there.**

 **Celgress: Glad to hear you liked it. Yeah Bob deserved way better. But then again, I guess that was part of the joke. Don't worry, the Joker will show up... eventually. I can't guarantee that he'll get an entire chapter just for him, but there will be a plethora of character moments and arcs regarding him that will show up.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Always great to hear from you my friend. I always appreciate the insight you provide for me. I've wanted to play around with the Red hood for a while now, so being able to pick apart the "Under the Red Hood" story was always going to be inevitable. And it even allowed me to get closure with Ivo! Robin and Keemia really needed some moments for the two of them to interact alone, because they don't generally get that, so I hoped this would work out in favour of it. Besides, she needed the closure. Snowflame was another character I desperately wanted to use, and while I love his absolutely absurd (and I mean STUPIDLY absurd) incarnation from his original appearances, I thought that a more competent and menacing incarnation might be apt for the situation. He'll definitely be showing up again in the future. For Jason's resurrection, it certainly will tie in to the "Season of Infamy" ideas I have. Can't say much more, but know this; we will see the return of someone from "The New Batman Adventures", and it will be heartfelt. Giving some more of Jason't canon backstory was fun, and I like utilizing the Squad as more of a... tenuous family unit (at least as far as Harley and Deadshot are concerned. Boomerang is just the drunk uncle... a drunkle if you will). Again, I will say that Jason was not Red Hood for years as he was in canon, it hasn't been nearly that long. But I did do a pretty rushed job there, I will admit. And yeah, it is hard to read Starfire's dialogue given recent incarnations, but I just stick to Marv Wolfman's original and that serves me well. I don't really know if I will use "The Killing Joke" for anything in the future as far as an entire chapter for it goes, but it will be referenced in the future. I have plenty of plans for Jason coming up soon, and Nina... well she's not very far away now ;)**

 **Zeo: Well, Flint is sterile so I wouldn't expect him and Z to have a child. Giganta... well I do have plans for her. Brainiac 5 will not be showing up though. Spider-Man and Galatea already have a great thing going for them on their own.**

 **Lucian Naruto: Savage is plotting, carefully moving his chess pieces about the board. And I think Lex is more comfortable here than he was in the Secret Society, that's for sure. I mean, he gets LexCorp back. But I think we all know he was tempted with the hair. It's always the hair.**

 **Wonderbat385: Is it wrong for me to say that I probably won't? I mean, I like WonderBat okay, I just prefer other ships for them. they'll get a resolution to their ship, I just can't guarantee it'll be exactly what you expect.**

 **7-Eleventh: Well you left quite a few, so I'll answer them all here. Coldnsap will be back for good in the future, just not yet. That's still a few chapters away. And yeah, it is rather nice that I have ten team members now. So many fun interactions to play with now! Ashley and Keemia will get their resolution to their relationship soon... ironically enough it will be around the same time that Conner and Megan get theirs. Huh, funny how it works out. Niuhi... will not end up with Kaldur though. That is for certain. Barry and Artemis will get their moments though. Now, when I mentioned that Thor event, I meant it more like it would work as an Omake. Not exactly canon to the fic, but as close as you would get if it did happen. And no, Venom will not show up. I mean, yeah Parasite is "dead", but you never know. He might come back. Comic book logic is a bitch. Terrors will be coming soon, but for now, it's time for "Bereft".**

 **Thanks again for all the reviews! This support kept me going through the dry spell and I love each and every one I get. Please be sure to leave more in the future, I love to read them. Hopefully there aren't any more large dry-spells like this one in the future. I'll try to be more frequent with the updates guys.**

 **But for now, disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Keemia Marko, Sandman, and all related characters are property of Marvel Comics and Disney (RIP Stan Lee). Young Justice, Psimon, and all related characters are property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **And now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Bialya – September 4** **th** **, 00:16 EEST**

The first thing that M'Gann noticed upon waking up was the feeling of the sand beneath her. It was fine and soft and cold, much like the wind that blew into her face from over the dunes. She slowly sat up, groaning in pain as she held her head. For whatever reason, it was throbbing.

She muttered to herself in her native Martian tongue before finally taking stock of her surroundings. It was nighttime, that much was for certain. However, the sands were not red, nor was the air nearly cold enough. Then she saw the sky… and the moon.

This wasn't Phobos or Deimos. Instead, there was only one in the sky. And it was perfectly circular.

Her eyes widened in realization as she felt the sand between her fingers again. Then, she tapped her head with a small smile. "Hello Megan, I'm on Earth!" she said to herself as though it were obvious. She stood up, starting to walk down the side of the dune she awoke on.

"But, how did I get to Earth?" she mused, before holding the cape she wore curiously. "Why am I wearing this costume? And why does my head hurt so much?" she groaned as she held her forehead again at the near-migraine she felt.

As she was lost in her thoughts though, her footing became erratic as she suddenly fell forwards, tumbling down the dune. She rolled all the way to the bottom, before sitting up again. "Is… is this a dream?"

She didn't have long to ponder this before a solid impact showered the ground behind her, spraying sand in every direction, and forming large dust clouds that obscured her vision. She gasped in surprise before looking back as the dust settled, revealing what appeared to be a human.

He wore a black shirt with the red crest of the House of El emblazoned upon it. He was breathing heavily as he stayed crouched on the ground, slowly looking at Megan as the two stared into each other's eyes.

Megan's eyes wandered down to look at the symbol on his shirt. "W-wait, I've seen that symbol. Are you Superman?" she asked timidly.

The boy suddenly looked to the symbol on his shirt before giving an enraged scream. He tore at the emblem, leaving his shirt in tatters before suddenly leaping at the surprised Martian girl. She barely had time to dodge as his fists collided with the sand where she previously sat. He soon attacked her again before she took to the air to avoid his thunderous blows.

This did little to deter the enraged boy as he leapt after her into the air. Megan used her telekinesis to try and block his assault, as he collided with her mental barrier before the two crashed into the ground from the impact. He stared at her for a moment before leaping away in the opposite direction, cutting across vast swathes of desert as he did.

Megan stared after him in disbelief before her arms wrapped around her knees, pulling them close to her chest. "No… not a dream…" she said fearfully.

"… A nightmare…"

* * *

Early the next morning the sun was already nearing its peak, as was the arid heat along with it. The temperature had already risen to near forty degrees centigrade and was expected to get even higher. And yet, despite the discomfort of the blistering heat, and the scorching sands, Robin still managed to move among the tall crags of rock that he had woken up near an hour before.

He grunted a little in exhaustion, his feet trudging on almost involuntarily until he turned a corner of the rock to see the telltale dust clouds of an approaching armed convoy. Now on high alert, he quickly scaled the rocky face, taking shelter on a narrow ledge as the convoy passed under him. The armed soldiers within were very clearly searching for something, and they meant business if the calibre of rifles they held were anything to go by.

"Those are Bialyan Republican Army uniforms…" Robin muttered to himself before activating his holoscreen to take a look at his coordinates. "But what are Bialyans doing in uh…. Bialya?" he said in surprise, noticing his GPS location. "Okay, better question; what am I doing in Bialya?" He asked before finally noticing the date.

"In September?! What happened to March?" he exclaimed in surprise. The last thing he could consciously remember was how he and Dick had handled a bust against Two-Face just the night before. He should have woken up in his own bed at home. The fact that he didn't was… alarming to say the least.

"Better call Batman," he mused, touching his commlink. However, a sudden memory flashed through his mind.

' _Maintain radio silence at all times'_ Batman's voice chided from somewhere within Robin's memories.

"Or not." He decided, before leaping from the rock face gracefully, flipping down to the sand below. Upon his landing, he noticed what appeared to be a ragged chunk of cloth on a nearby rock. Upon closer examination, it proved to be a scrap of a torn t-shirt. A black one to be precise. On the cloth, emblazoned brightly was a red crest of the House of El.

He looked at the scrap suspiciously before pressing on.

* * *

"Hey beautiful, wake up."

Artemis groaned in pain, clutching her head as her eyes slowly opened. Looking down on her from above was the smiling visage of a red-headed teenage boy. His body was garbed in a black and grey uniform of some sort. As he came into focus, she gasped in surprise before scrambling backwards, grabbing her bow which laid nearby.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. I won't hurt you, I'm one of the good guys." He said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture as he hoped to calm her down. "You know, Kid Flash?"

"Seen Kid Flash on the news, he doesn't wear black." She replied suspiciously.

Kid Flash took that moment to look at his uniform, his face bearing a clear mark of confusion. "A little unclear on that one myself. What about you?" he asked, gesturing to her outfit. "Green Arrow fixation?"

Artemis was about to deny it before she suddenly saw her own uniform. "Who put me in this?!"

"Wow, I'm not touching that with a ten-foot… uh… so, you know how to use that bow?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah. My dad taught me," she nodded, before a look of realization came over her. "Dad! He _must_ have done this. Another of his stupid tests."

"What kind of test?" Kid Flash asked curiously.

"He probably wants me to kill you." She said in a deadpan tone.

Barry's eyes widened in shock, but before either of them could comment, a quiet whistling sound could be heard on the air. It was faint, but it was growing louder and louder with each passing second. Not wasting any more time, Barry quickly grabbed Artemis before pulling her out of the shack they were in, just as a missile struck the building, detonating it.

The two teens were sent sprawling from the blast, before looking up to see three tanks rapidly approaching on the horizon, being led by an armed hummer full of Bialyan soldiers. The two scrambled to their feet, running in the opposite direction as the officers in the hummer opened fire.

"Don't let them escape!" the leader called, as they continued their barrage.

Thinking quickly, Artemis drew an explosive arrow before rolling out of the line of fire and shooting it under the truck. The explosion knocked the vehicle into the air, sending it flying before it landed roughly on the ground again, tumbling in a heap of metal.

As she loaded another arrow to fire at another vehicle that was rapidly approaching them, Barry pulled his goggles down onto his face before racing in at top speed and pulling Artemis out of the line of fire. It was just in time too, as another missile soon struck the ground where Artemis had been kneeling just seconds before.

"Sorry, they've got bigger arrows!" Barry said hurriedly as he ran with Artemis in his arms bridal-style, dodging each subsequent missile with ease as he raced through the canyon.

"Thanks," Artemis said, genuinely grateful for his help.

"Hey, I told you, good guy." He shrugged. "Now, not to pry but, what's your name?" he asked as Artemis flashed him a brief smile. Barry wouldn't say it out loud, but he thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen up to that point.

"Oh, and what's this about you killing me?"

* * *

"Ugh my head… Roy was this your idea? Another weekend bender? Who does that on a Tuesday anyway…?" Keemia groaned, trying to sit up before the pain became overwhelming. She soon let loose the contents of her stomach as a wave of nausea hit her all at once. "Wait… sand? Why is there sand? Why am I in the desert?!" she cried in alarm before grasping her head again. "Ow… too much noise…"

"Keemia? You're awake!" a voice suddenly called before someone hugged the surprised sorceress from behind.

"Ah! Holy shit!" Keemia cried in alarm before scrambling out of their grasp. "Wh-who are you?"

"What do you mean? It's me, Ashley? Don't you remember?" the eponymous Ashley asked, her black lips now put together in a small pout.

"I… I don't know…" Keemia admitted as she looked at the girl. 'Damn she's cute… wait, do I like girls?' she thought to herself, looking off to the side in surprise. After a moment, she looked back at Ashley before taking in all of her features. 'You know what? I do. Why is she so familiar though?'

Much like the first time they'd met, Ashley heard her every thought, and for a moment, her own heart raced as a blush adorned her cheeks. "Keemia, I think something's tampered with your memory."

"You know what? I'm inclined to agree with you." Keemia nodded, slowly standing up before nausea hit her again, and she dry-heaved into the desert. "What was it though, and why did it hurt my head so much?"

"It was telepathy, a powerful telepath wiped your memories from you. And given your previous history with CADMUS' G-gnomes, I guess it hurt you more than expected." Ashley said, moving closer to her. "When I found you, it looked like you were having a seizure."

"Oh shit…" Keemia said in surprise before trying to think. "I don't recognize any of that though. CADMUS, G-gnomes, none of that's familiar."

"They're parts of the memories you lost. I'd assume the rest of our team lost their memories too." Ashley sighed.

"Team? We're on a team?" she asked before the two heard the sound of approaching vehicles in the distance. "Are those friendly?"

"Probably not," Ace said, shaking her head as the men in the vehicles aimed their guns.

"Take them out quickly?"

"Most definitely." Ace nodded before using her telekinesis to hurl a massive cloud of sand into the air, obscuring the view of the soldiers.

"Oh, now that's perfect!" Keemia grinned before conjuring her staff and twirling it in front of her. " **Mrotsdnas!** "

The sand that Ace threw into the air suddenly hurled towards the vehicles as a massive storm front, sending the cars tumbling backwards across the dunes. However, neither girl wanted to stay very long to inspect their handiwork.

"Let's get a move on before they come to their senses." Ace urged.

"Yeah, or bring their friends." Keemia nodded before both girls took off running away. As they ran through the dunes, they would soon pick up the sound of another voice. Curious, they followed it to find a boy. He was cursing profusely, and gesturing with the two pistols in his hands as though they'd made a personal insult to his very being.

The strange part about him was the outfit he wore. A brown leather jacket, combat armour underneath, with grey cargo pants. A red Bat symbol was emblazoned on his chest, which perfectly matched the red helmet that he wore on his head,

"Another one of ours?" Keemia asked before making a mental note to remember some of the more… colourful phrases he spouted.

"Yep, that's Jason." Ace nodded.

* * *

'I'm actually on Earth! I've wanted this for so long! Even if it's not exactly like TV.' M'Gann thought to herself excitedly, as she soared high over the sands of the desert. Feeling the warmth of the sun, and the cool southern breeze just delighted her to her very core. If it wasn't for the confusion at her situation, and the sudden and alarming attack from that… boy… it would have been ideal.

That confusion continued to bring a frown to her face every time she thought about it. "But why can't I remember how I got here?" she asked herself, before flying closer to the ground. Floating between two dead trees, she floated midair in the full-lotus position as she focused her mind to meditate.

'Concentrate…' she told herself mentally. 'Remember…'

Suddenly, numerous images flooded her mind.

 _The boy from before leaping towards her with a roar of aggression._

" _Good idea. Go." A voice called from beside her, as her one-time attacker stood in front of her, his face bearing a small smile and his clothing intact._

" _Be careful," he urged._

" _Careful Superboy, they're hot," M'Gann chirped, as she offered a tray of freshly baked cookies to the clone. He smiled warmly as he reached to grab one, before Barry suddenly zipped past in costume, stealing the cookie from his hands._

" _Not as hot as you, babe." Barry grinned before eating the cookie in one bite._

" _Thanks, Barry… that's um…. Sweet?" M'Gann said in confusion while Superboy levelled the speedster a glare, before grabbing himself a new cookie._

" _Not as sweet as you, sugar!" Barry smirked before Artemis suddenly cuffed him upside the head as she walked into the room with Ace in tow._

" _Oh, grow up." She scolded him before grabbing her own cookie. Suddenly, Batman's voice was heard over the intercom._

" _Team, report to the mission room." He said as the teens all nodded. Then, her visions ended._

"I'm on a team!" M'Gann said excitedly. "I have friends! And a Superboy who might be…" she trailed off, a blush growing on her face before she suddenly nodded in determination. "I need to find him! Er, them!" she corrected herself, before taking to the air again, and soaring high across the desert, attempting to retrace her steps.

' _Hello? Uh, team?_ ' she called out telepathically, before frowning. "Maybe they're just out of my range." She determined, before soaring off faster than before.

* * *

As the sun slowly started to set on the horizon, Barry finally came to a halt just next to the wall of a small rocky canyon. He carefully set Artemis down before taking a moment to catch his breath, his body seriously feeling the fatigue of running for almost an hour straight.

"Sorry… running on empty. Don't think I've eaten in a while." He said to Artemis, still panting as he opened a hidden compartment in his glove where he normally kept his extra food. To his surprise, he found it empty. "Been out here over twenty-four hours, or my cupboards wouldn't be bare."

Before Artemis could reply, a sudden massive impact would send the two stumbling back as an enraged Superboy landed in-between them. As the dust from the impact settled the clone would lash out, backhanding Barry away into the canyon wall, before he rounded on Artemis.

The archer was quick to back-flip out of his reach before firing an explosive arrow at him. The clone staggered a bit from the blast but kept approaching her steadily, even as she held her barrage upon him. Finally, he came within range to grab her, but she narrowly rolled to the side to avoid his grasp yet again.

Superboy gave a roar of anger before a sudden mortar shell slammed into him, creating a massive explosion that sent Artemis sprawling. The sudden blast caused the clone to cry out in pain, his telepathic anguish managing to reach M'Gann as she had just flown into range.

'Superboy! Where are you?' M'Gann called out telepathically, as she searched from the sky, before noticing a plume of smoke rising into the distance. She immediately took off at top speed to try and reach it.

Back at the site of the explosion, Artemis weakly attempted to sit up from where she was launched by the blast, while Superboy simply leapt over her, now intent on engaging the approaching tanks who had attacked them moments prior.

He landed on the first, grasping the long barrel of its gun before pulling as hard as he could, his muscles straining before he ripped the barrel free, flinging it away. A soldier immediately appeared out the top, opening fire on Superboy with his rifle. The bullets didn't bother the clone, however, as he easily crumpled the gun with one hand, before grasping the soldier with the other and flinging him away.

Superboy then grasped the top of the tank, pulling as hard as he cold before tearing it free and throwing it away into the distance as the second tank responded by shooting him point-blank with another missile. Superboy was sent flying out away from the vehicles, before standing back up, seemingly unaffected by the blast as he leapt back into the fray.

Artemis and Barry watched from a distance, the two of them morbidly fascinated with the scene unfolding before them. "Whose side is he on?" Artemis asked with a grimace.

"Want to stick around and find out?" Barry asked as the two looked at each other before returning their attention to the animalistic teen. Superboy savagely struck at the side of the tank, denting and tearing at the metal as he ripped this tank in half, much like the first.

Barry took that as their cue to exit, as he picked Artemis up like before and started running off down a nearby dune. Unfortunately, in his fatigue, he missed spotting a rock, which he, in turn, tripped over. The two teens were now tumbling down the dune, before looking up at the sound of something flying overhead.

Two remote drones flew past them at breakneck speed, before turning back and opening fire on the teens. "Get down!" Barry urged as he kept Artemis on the ground, using his body to shield hers as bullets narrowly missed them, striking the sand all around their bodies. The drones flew past again before circling around, ready for another attack. Artemis took a moment to load her bow, aiming at the drones until a voice rang out in her head.

' _Don't worry, I'm almost there!'_ A girl called out, surprising the archer long enough for her shot to veer off-course, away from the drones as she gasped in surprise.

"Did you just hear a girl talking in your head?" she asked in alarm.

"Girls are always on my mind," Barry shrugged with a smirk. "But they aren't usually talking."

The drones continued to barrel through the air towards them, before M'Gann finally arrived, keeping speed with the drones as she used her telekinesis to force them to crash into each other. A small explosion happened soon after as the flying machines crashed into the sand below, before M'Gann landed on the ground in front of the two relieved, yet perplexed teens.

"Well J'onn, the costume looks familiar. But I'm not sure the new bod screams 'Manhunter'." Barry said, his face looking unsure.

"You know my uncle J'onn?" M'Gann asked excitedly before remembering. "Hello Megan, of course you do. You're Kid Flash, Barry. And you're Artemis." She said gesturing between the two.

"Wait, wait, wait, Martian Manhunter's your uncle? Is that how you know my name?" Barry asked in surprise, while Artemis' eyebrow quirked slightly.

"Your name is really Barry?" the archer asked flatly. Barry looked at her for a moment before groaning as a slight red tinge covered his face.

"It's okay, we're teammates – friends! I made you cookies." M'Gann continued, hoping to jog their memories.

The two stared at her before Artemis glared at Barry with an undercurrent of jealousy clearly evident. "You know her?"

"N-no, I swear beautiful, I've never seen her before in my life. At least…" he rambled before M'Gann sighed in defeat.

"You both lost your memories too…" she trailed off.

"They're not the only ones." A new voice called, as the trio turned to see three more people approaching them. "Is that really you Barry?"

"Keemia? Holy crap, a familiar face!" the speedster grinned before Artemis' glare intensified.

"You know _her_ too?"" she accused.

"Yeah, but don't worry. He's like a little brother to me. All the energy of a five-year-old, and twice as taxing on your patience." Keemia smirked. Ace and Red Hood were right behind her as M'Gann looked to them.

"They're our teammates too… I remember you." She said, pointing to Ace. "You're Ashley."

"Yep, that's me. I still have my memories though, so don't worry." She assured her.

"You still have them all? Could you help us get ours back?" Barry asked hopefully.

"I've been wondering that too. It's kinda weird falling asleep with a broken shoulder and then waking up in the desert with healed bones and rubber-bullets in your favourite guns." Jason mused dryly before Keemia cuffed him upside the head gently.

"Relax Hood, we'll get them back." She said before looking to Ashely with a frown. "We will get them back… right?"

"Of course, but it might be best if we gathered the others here first. There's no telling how much energy it'll take us to do it, and we might need their help as well with finding the missing pieces." Ace reasoned before the six looked out across the desert at a rising plume of smoke, which had drawn the attention of even more armoured vehicles.

"Might want to get a move on then." Keemia grimaced before M'Gann gave a short nod.

"Come on, I'll fill you in as we go. Robin and Superboy need our help." She said before starting off again, with the others falling in behind her.

"Of course," Barry nodded. "Robin and… Super what now?"

* * *

After an exhausting battle between himself and the Bialyan soldiers, Superboy had finally been restrained somehow. Thick cables were bound around his arms as several soldiers held on, attempting to stop him from moving as they tried to capture him. However, Superboy struggled against his bonds, his anger never once fading.

With one tug, he sent several of the soldiers sprawling across the desert as he pulled the cables they were holding on to. The others struggled to regain control, while off to the side, their commander watched fearfully. Behind him was a pale man, his face obscured by the grey hood that he wore.

The commander grimaced under his mask before turning to the pale man. "You must control his mind," he urged.

"Doesn't seem to be much mind left in there to control," the pale man mused, a small smirk on his face before he raised his hand. "But… _be still_." He ordered.

Almost immediately, Superboy's struggles ceased as the man invaded his mind before the clone collapsed in an unconscious heap to the ground. The soldiers quickly moved in to grab him again as they dragged his body to one of the vehicles, each muttering a string of curses in their native tongue.

The pale man smirked triumphantly as they now had what they were looking for in their possession before the vehicles all drove off again to their base of operations. Unbeknownst to them, however, another teen was unconscious behind some nearby rocks.

Aqualad.

* * *

Night fell quickly, as the dunes of the desert no longer glowed under the evening haze. Instead, they were illuminated by the silver glimmer of the moon above. Robin continued his trek through the dunes, moving far further than he had just hours prior as the temperature was now far safer for movement. His holoscreen was active as he followed a path to a marker he had seemingly placed sometime earlier. It gave him some comfort as it was a sort of reference point for him, but he still couldn't remember why he would have placed one.

"Wish I could remember why I put a GPS marker here," he muttered. As he came over the crest of the dune, he saw a large black box sitting in the sand, before he quickly ducked out of sight. After looking at his holoscreen, a dawning look of realization came over him. "Huh… guessing that's why."

Carefully peering over the dune again. He checked that the coast was clear before leaping into action and landing near the box. However, several soldiers emerged from the sand as he did, arming their rifles.

"Her majesty wants him alive!" one of them called out before they all moved in. Robin was less than impressed as he just dropped a smoke pellet down before they could approach. As the soldiers were left coughing, and blindly stumbling around the smoke, Robin went on the offensive, taking them down before he could be seen.

He used his bolas to rope up two of them, before leaping onto the shoulders of another, spinning his legs to take down three at once. He then drew several of his throwing discs before using them to disarm some of the soldiers. However, for every one that he took down, another two would take their place as he soon found himself starting to get overwhelmed.

He leapt out of the fray to get his bearings, as the soldiers pointed their rifles to him. "Enough, open fire!" one called as they started shooting. Robin back-flipped out of their path as a sudden blur whizzed by, stealing their guns.

"I'll hold that, thanks!" Kid Flash grinned, before leaping into the fight once they were all disarmed. Two more attempted to sneak up on them from behind. However, M'Gann flung them out of the way with her telekinesis. Another group was trying to retrieve their guns before Red Hood suddenly landed in front of them, knocking sand in their faces as he took them down by attacking their pressure points.

" **Dnib meht ni sniahc!** " Keemia called, conjuring chains to bind the downed soldiers together as Ace used her own telekinesis to stop them from moving. One soldier attempted to run away, however, he was caught by a net arrow Artemis fired downing him in a second.

With the last of them on the ground, the teens regrouped as Robin approached Barry with a grin. "KF! Man, it's good to see a familiar face!" he grinned as the two gripped each other's hands.

"Hey Rob, memory loss?" Barry asked.

"Six months!" Robin nodded as Keemia approached.

"So, about the same for the rest of us. Oh, and thanks for the warm welcome Pigeon." She snarked, floating on her staff as Ace nudged her with her elbow gently.

"Sorry, guess I'm just trying to process this still." He sighed, before gesturing to the soldiers. "Let's hogtie the rest of these creeps and compare notes."

* * *

"So, we're a team?" Robin asked in surprise, once the rest of the soldiers were all tied together.

"Yep, we are." Hood nodded, his arms folded across his chest as he watched their flank in case more soldiers showed up.

"The seven of us, and Superboy," M'Gann confirmed.

"Then this must be his," Robin determined, pulling out the torn cloth with the House of El emblem.

"Yes! Did you see him?" M'Gann asked eagerly.

"I think we did," Artemis mused, looking at Barry.

"Feral boy? Some teammate, he attacked us." He grimaced.

"He didn't know who we are." Artemis defended. "I don't know who we are!"

"I remember Batman ordering radio silence," Robin said. "Our team must work for him."

"How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" Barry asked before pressing the Flash logo on his chest. When he did, His outfit changed from the sleek black and grey to the normal yellow and red. "Whoa, this is so cool!" Barry grinned before pressing it, again and again, to keep it changing colour.

The others briefly checked to see if their outfits worked the same, but it appeared that only Barry's did. "Ugh, we look ridiculous." Artemis groaned before looking at Barry who was still changing the colours. "Quit touching yourself!"

"Not touching that with a ten-foot pole," Keemia murmured to Ace as the short telekinetic giggled lightly.

"We need our memories back." Artemis scoffed.

M'Gann looked at everyone, nervously rubbing her hands together as she internally debated something. After a few moments, she made a decision. 'To help Superboy,' she thought to herself before raising her hands and opening a telepathic link between everybody.

There was a brief flash in front of everyone's eyes before they found themselves in what appeared to be a mental dreamscape. Various memories flashed all around them, each seeming to be random and unfocused. Each one was also a memory that they were all missing.

"I brought you into my mind to share what I've remembered so far," M'Gann started before appearing before them. "But I need your help. Together our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine."

"Wait, where's Ashley?" Keemia asked before looking around. Sure enough, the smaller girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, I'm right here," Ashley said before appearing alongside them. "Sorry, sometimes I forget that I finished my telepathic training. I instinctively mask my presence whenever someone tries to get in my head, so I can instead enter theirs."

"You bypassed my telepathy… I couldn't even sense you!" M'Gann said in shock.

"Yep. You're good, but you're not done your training. You will be soon." Ace assured her. "It's because of my own training that I could keep all of my memories."

"So that's why you remembered everything. Did you see who attacked us?" Jason asked.

"No, unfortunately not. I wasn't looking for him, and he attacked M'Gann first. That much I do know." She said.

"Hang on, can we just backtrack for a second. You want to paw through our private thoughts?" Artemis asked with a scowl.

"I have no wish to intrude but…" M'Gann started before Robin cut her off.

"We need to hack our minds to get what happened to us. Got it. Go." Robin nodded.

"Just be careful while you're in there. Whatever I'm missing caused me to have painful reactions to telepathic intrusions." Keemia said uneasily before Ace reached out, gently holding her hand.

"My brain's all yours." Barry grinned. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you."

"Or underwhelm you," Robin smirked, causing Keemia and Jason to chuckle. "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"

Artemis still looked reluctant at this, before casting a brief look to Barry. The speedster nodded before gently taking her hand in his. Now reassured, the archer sighed before nodding. "Last six months only, and only what you need."

"Don't worry, I'll be in there too to make sure nothing private gets blown out in the open." Ace assured them before walking over to M'Gann. The two girls shared a nod before using their telepathy together to extend tendrils of energy towards their teammates, so they could extract the memories.

" _The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman said, gesturing to a screen behind him that showed a map of Bialya. "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. On top of this, an archaeology student native to Metropolis, Nina Dowd, was reported missing by the rest of her dig team in nearby Qurac. Dowd is a prodigy in the field of anthropology, as well as an expert in the field of extraterrestrial artifacts; specifically, those of the New Gods. Find out what happened at that site, what landed there, and if you can, retrieve Nina Dowd."_

 _The team nodded at this before Batman continued. "Bialya is a rogue state, ruled by Queen Bee," he said before showing a picture if the eponymous Queen Bee. She was a dark-skinned woman, dressed regally in various silks, with a gold diadem on her forehead. "It is also not a member of the League's UN charter. All communications are suspect to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times."_

" _You'll land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two clicks from the hot zone."_

 _Robin peered through his binoculars carefully, before turning to his teammates. M'Gann and Artemis scouted from their own positions while Superboy carried a large black box down the ramp of the Bioship. "All clear!" Robin said._

" _The Bialyans control the site," Artemis said, reporting what she and Robin had seen while scouting out the area. Aqualad nodded in response before looking to Superboy._

' _Set up here," he said. Superboy nodded before setting the box down and twisting a knob on the side as a control panel and several terminals appeared from within the box._

" _We'll be up and running in no time," Robin said, typing several commands into the keyboard on the side of the box._

 _Barry read the date over Robin's shoulder before grinning. "Jackpot, the site's lousy with Zeta beam radiation."_

" _So, whatever it was got teleported in? That explains the energy output." Keemia mused._

" _Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent." Robin nodded._

" _I'll check it out in camouflage mode," M'Gann offered._

" _Good idea." Aqualad nodded. "Go."_

" _Careful," Superboy warned, a soft smile on his face._

" _And maintain telepathic contact." Aqualad nodded. "Ace can relay if you get too far, but only if you keep the channel open."_

" _I will, Aqualad," M'Gann said._

"Aqualad!" they all gasped, as their telepathic link closed with their memories restored.

"Where is he? What happened next?" Robin asked worriedly.

"I don't know, that's the last thing I-we remember," M'Gann said adamantly.

"What about her? Do you remember?" Jason asked, looking at Ace.

"I'm trying. Whatever attacked us left a lingering presence in my head. It's weak, but it's stopping me from finding out at the moment. Guess I couldn't block them out fast enough for that." The girl frowned.

Artemis and Barry finally noticed that they were holding hands, before quickly letting go and recoiling, fighting to keep their blushes off of their faces. "We landed twenty-four hours ago. If Kaldur's been wandering the desert that long, well… that's not good for a guy with gills." Barry said seriously.

"Well, now that I know to look for him…" Robin said before pulling up his holoscreen. "He's close, but he's not moving."

* * *

Far across the sands, and under a heavy guard, there sat a large tent surrounded by heavy military vehicles. Inside the tent, there were dozens of computers and other such machines, each monitored by various scientists. On one side of the room, there was a large spherical object, housed inside a solid frame that allowed it to spin in place, with numerous scientists watching it and taking notes as it was forced to move on its own.

On the other side of the room, Superboy was restrained against the wall with incredibly strong shackles. He lay unconscious in his confines while two scientists shocked him through the numerous wires connected to his body.

"Raise to shock level four," the head scientist ordered as his assistant did as he was told. Superboy then underwent a higher shock, causing the clone to cry out in pain as the electricity coursed through him.

Suddenly, the sphere started spinning weakly on its own, almost as though it were responding to Superboy's cry.

"Fascinating…" the pale man said, approaching the sphere before another cry of pain was heard. A young woman, enthralled by the sphere's response reached out to touch it, only to be thrown back by a mild shock. "Miss Dowd, we did tell you that you are to observe only, correct?" he chided.

"Y-yes sir… you did…" the petite student nodded before standing up weakly, noticing a spiralling design of circuitry-like burns adorning her arm where she touched the sphere.

"Hmph, go recheck the energy monitors." The pale man ordered, before once again looking to the sphere, a dangerous smirk growing on his face at the new revelation.

* * *

"Shit… that's not good," Keemia muttered as she gently held Kaldur's head. Her Atlantean best friend was unconscious and very clearly dehydrated. Whatever energy he had left was being spent mumbling incoherently in his native tongue.

"I can't restore his memories in this condition," M'Gann frowned.

"He needs immediate rehydration!" Robin said seriously. "Call the Bioship."

"It's out of range, but you can get him there fast." M'Gann offered, turning to Barry.

"He's too heavy, and I'm too low on fuel." Barry grimaced. "Right now, I couldn't even carry her." He said, gesturing to Artemis.

"Why not just levitate him back?" Artemis asked.

"I can't. I have to find Superboy!" M'Gann said seriously. "Six months ago, he didn't exist. He has no memories, just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him."

"I can help him too, you know." Ace pointed out with a frown.

"Besides, Superboy's indestructible. Just ask those tanks." Barry added. "It's Aqualad who needs your help. Like, now!"

M'Gann was about to respond before she grasped her head in pain, feeling Superboy's agony from one of the many tendrils she extended to search for him. "No! Superboy's in pain!" she said before flying off in a rush.

"M'Gann, wait!" Artemis called after her.

"We still don't know who erased our memories!" Robin said with a grimace. "It could happen again!"

But M'Gann was too far out of range, and too determined in her cause to be stopped now. She immediately entered camouflage mode and soared across the sand, searching for Superboy's telepathic signal.

"I have to go after her. Whoever attacked us last time couldn't get through me, and M'Gann will need all the help she can get." Ace said seriously.

"Then I'm going too, you might need the muscle." Keemia reasoned.

'Hey, you can't just leave, what about Aqualad? How are we supposed to carry him?" Artemis asked.

"Right… **Etaerc a rehcterts rof rudlak!** " Keemia called before a large stretcher appeared. "You can carry him with this!"

"Alright, but be careful. M'Gann's acting headstrong right now, and if you need us to call for backup, let us know immediately. We don't want to risk any more losses out here." Robin ordered.

"You got it Pigeon," Keemia said before rushing off with Ace.

"Be careful out there Sappho!" Robin called after her with a smirk as Keemia stumbled slightly, her face now blushing a dark crimson.

"You okay?" Ace asked.

"Y-yeah, let's just move!" Keemia said hastily.

* * *

Within minutes, she'd found Superboy's location, hovering over a large tent that was guarded by several Bialyan soldiers. She descended slowly before entering the tent, still under the cover of her camouflage, as she looked inside to see Superboy restrained on the wall and shocked by electricity.

She flew towards him before knocking the scientists away and shutting off the voltage. Superboy's screaming died down as he panted, before falling unconscious again.

"Well, someone's certainly a glutton for punishment." The pale man chuckled, as M'Gann let out a startled gasp at being noticed. He had seen her through the camouflage! The man slowly let the hood down from his head, revealing it to be crystal clear, almost like glass, as it displayed his brain within. "Psimon says… forget"

With that, he sent out a massive telepathic wave to M'Gann, who was now watching him in horror as he pulled her into a telepathic mindscape. She looked around, horrified at seeing all her thoughts and memories literally twisted and torn apart in front of her, haphazardly scattered all around in the air. Mount Justice, The Highway from the Amazo mission, Gotham City, Happy Harbour, all these locations were jumbled together all around her in a storm of nonsensical architecture.

"That's it…" Psimon's voice echoed. "Forget like before…"

M'Gann grunted, struggling to hold back his telepathic assault as her eyes widened. "Before…"

" _I'm in," M'Gann reported, carefully sneaking into the tent to see several scientists and soldiers huddled around the sphere, observing it._

" _Good, but tread carefully. Camouflage is not invisible," Aqualad warned._

" _Make sure your relay is open too. You never know when you'll need a backup link," Ace added, as Miss Martian slowly took to the air, hovering above the men inside._

" _They're testing something…" M'Gann said curiously, watching as the sphere spun in place. "But it's alive… in pain!" she said before slowly reaching a hand out to the sphere. "H-hello? Can you hear me?"_

" _I can…" Psimon chuckled, his voice echoing I the heads of the entire team. "And an open mind is a dangerous thing."_

" _Someone's hacked our link!" M'Gann said in alarm._

" _Ace, can you try and stop it?" Keemia asked._

" _I'll try!"_

" _Psimon can't see you… Psimon can't catch you…" Psimon chuckled darkly. "But Psimon can make you all… forget!" He said madly before attacking them all at once with his telepathy. Through the link with M'Gann, the entire team was assaulted at once as they all grasped their heads painfully under his attack._

 _Keemia fell forward onto the ground, her whole body seizing as Ace tried to steady her, her mind seemingly unaffected, while Superboy flew into a berserker rage and immediately started leaping out into the desert._

"No!" M'Gann exclaimed, attempting to halt his second assault on her with her own telepathy. "I won't let it happen again!"

"Not really your call, little girl." Psimon chided as he appeared in her mindscape as well. "The only one of you who stood a chance was Waller's little pet project. I could have crippled her if I tried, but I wanted to be as… stealthy as possible. Something you failed to do yourself." He chuckled. "But, that is of little consequence now," he decided before striking M'Gann with a concentrated blast of energy from his mind.

* * *

Aqualad laid on the stretcher stably, as Red Hood carefully carried it with help from Kid Flash and Artemis. Robin led them through the sand, looking at the directions on his holoscreen as he searched for the Bioship. The sound of an approaching car quickly caught their attention, as Robin turned to point a nearby rock they could hide behind. "Quick, over there!" he said as the four moved out of the way in time, and the car drove past them.

The sound of the car passing by caused Aqualad to stir slightly, as he let out a pain-filled groan before mumbling something in Atlantean. "Shh Kaldur, quiet now," Artemis whispered, holding his head gently while Robin stood to peek behind a rock. Jason did the same as the two looked out to see a small squadron of armed guards patrolling the area just on the other side of the boulder.

"Crap, what now?" Jason grimaced as Robin looked back to the others.

"We can't risk a firefight with Aqualad KO'ed like this," Robin said seriously while Jason checked his reserves.

"It's not just him, I'm way out of juice," Barry said tiredly.

"And I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis added.

"I've still got plenty of ammo, but I don't think my non-lethal rounds are gonna help much here," Jason said, as he checked his munition reserves. When the three looked back though, they noticed that Robin had disappeared again.

"Ugh, I forgot how much I hate it when he does that ninja thing." Barry scowled.

"I can do it too you know." Jason pointed out.

"True, but then again you don't need to." Barry pointed out before looking to Artemis. "Hey, you never said why your dad would want you to kill me."

Artemis froze for a moment, a light blush coming to her cheeks before she came up with an excuse. "I got confused by some old movie I saw the other night. About a ninja girl, whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend, because he was from a rival ninja clan." She said, waving him off dismissively.

"That sounds like a lot of Shonen Jump bullshit to me," Jason smirked as Artemis shot him a death glare.

"So, I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?" Barry said with a grin as Artemis blush once again before levelling a new glare to the speedster.

"Hey, amnesia, remember? Completely forgot how truly annoying you are."

"Oh, like you're the goddess of congeniality!" Barry countered.

"God, would you please just make-out already! Find a closet, put a sock on the door, just do something! This tension is literally making me sick right now!" Jason growled out to the two embarrassed teens before Robin popped back with them.

"I'm with Jaybird on this one. Though to be fair, if Keemia's feelings were any more obvious you'd be saying the same thing to her." The boy wonder pointed out, acting as though he hadn't disappeared at all.

"Dude, where were you?" Barry asked indignantly.

Robin simply smirked at that. "Breaking radio silence."

A sudden sound of static could be heard from a couple of dunes away, drawing the attention of the guards as they ran after the noise. As they got closer, they started hearing the sound of Robin's laughter echoing through the sand. They advanced on the noise only to find the source devoid of anything. Anything, except for several explosive discs which lay on the ground with Robin's communicator attached, as the communicator played a recorded message of Robin's mocking laughter.

A few seconds later, an explosion was heard as a massive cloud of smoke poured out over the sand, leaving the soldiers coughing and sputtering on the ground. "That's our cue. Move!" Robin ordered as the four picked up Aqualad's stretcher again before continuing their trek towards the Bioship.

* * *

Back in the mindscape. M'Gann struggled to hold back Psimon's powers with her own, focusing her telepathic power into a dome that deflected his assault. The villain looked at her with a bemused smile as he continued. "You have potential, but you're too raw. Too… untrained." The large image of the villain's head suddenly opened its mouth as Psimon stepped out to face her. "And not at all in my league."

The villain fired another strong telepathic attack at the girl, sending her reeling backwards as her own defence was easily shattered. Back in the real world, since M'Gann was asleep, it appeared as though Psimon were just staring out into space, a confident smirk on his face as the other scientists looked on in confusion.

"Mr. Psimon, are you alright?" one asked as the villain continued to vacantly stare at the invisible Martian girl. However, the raw strength of the psychic energy in the room activated M'Gann's latent telekinesis as numerous objects suddenly started to levitate around them.

* * *

Outside the tent, and just a few feet away from the Bialyan's research site, Ace removed her hands from her forehead before turning to Keemia. "There's a massive spike in telepathic energy in the tent. I think M'Gann's found the villain."

"Is she okay in there?" Keemia asked.

"So far, yes. But she's not ready for someone of his calibre yet." Ace frowned. "We need to move in, now!" she said before moving on ahead.

"H-hey wait, what about the guards? We can't handle that many soldiers!" Keemia pointed out, hurrying behind her friend.

"Do you trust me?" Ace asked.

"I… yeah, I trust you." She nodded slowly. "Why do you ask?"

Ace looked at her for a moment before her eyes started to glow softly. Afterwards, she grasped Keemia's hand before walking with her towards the tent. Amazingly, none of the guards even appeared to notice that the two were there.

"How are you doing this?" Keemia asked in amazement.

"Telepathy, finely focused to literally prevent their brains from processing our sensory information. They can't see us or hear us." Ace said, as though it were an everyday occurrence.

Keemia looked at her friend for a moment before involuntarily shivering. "That is… that's honestly really scary. But also, incredibly badass."

"Thank you," Ace said with a small smile before the two stepped into the tent. Inside, they noticed that Psimon was staring off into space, clearly focused on M'Gann, despite the Martian girl being invisible. Behind the villain, Superboy was held by his wrists on a large metal slab, while off to the right, was Nina Dowd, currently examining the rapidly growing circuitry on her arm with a panicked expression. "There's Nina, you get her out of here, and I'll help M'Gann and Conner."

"You sure you can handle him on your own?" Keemia asked, looking to Psimon.

Ace looked at the villain for a moment before letting out a smirk. "Yep. He doesn't even know we're here, so I should be okay."

Keemia nodded slowly, grasping her staff tightly in her hands. "Okay, just… just be careful." She urged before looking at her shorter friend. Several thoughts ran through her head all at one before she slowly came to a decision. A risky decision, but one that she desperately wanted. Before Ace could answer her, Keemia leaned in and captured the smaller girl's lips in a brief, but searing, kiss. "There are some things I want to talk about when we're done here. And I need you in one piece to do it."

Ace blinked in surprise, her face a deep crimson as she touched her lips gently where Keemia had just kissed her. "Don't worry, I'll be back to you soon." Ace assured her, her confidence growing.

Keemia nodded before moving over to Nina Dowd and tapping the girl's shoulder. The student jumped in surprise, letting out a small scream. "Wh-who are you?!" she asked, not having seen Keemia until she touched her shoulder.

"One of the good guys. And I'm here to save you. Ready to go home?" Keemia asked.

"Yes… but what about him?" she asked, looking to Conner.

"My friends can help him. But for now, I'm here to save you." Keemia said before casting one last longing look at Ace and then grasping Nina's arm. " **Tropelet su ot eht pihsoib!** " she cast before the two disappeared in a small flash of light.

The flash of light shone against the unconscious clone's eyes, slowly waking him up again as he noticed the numerous objects levitating around the tent. At the center of it all, there appeared to be a body, but he couldn't quite tell. He switched to an infrared vision, picking up the heat signature of some ghostly figure, confirming his suspicions before he turned his head and saw Psimon, seemingly staring off into blank space.

Seeing the telepathic villain again caused his rage to bubble up to the surface as he let out a feral growl, his heart rate increasing. The sphere began spinning in response to this, breaking free from its confines as the scientists all dove for cover before the sphere crashed into the computer console. The damage to the console released Superboy from his bonds as the clone leapt free before attempting to punch Psimon.

However, the villain's psychic abilities formed a shield around his body, stopping the clone from hitting him as Superboy was knocked back near M'Gann. The clone stood up, holding his arm to the side where it bushed against M'Gann. The clone looked at the invisible girl in surprise before he too was suddenly pulled into the mindscape where M'Gann was battling Psimon.

* * *

M'Gann felt his touch before turning to see the clone alongside her, a broad smile on her face, "You're here!" she said happily.

Psimon looked at the two before letting loose a chuckle at the sight of them. "You sound so relieved. Is that mindless creature supposed to save your mind?" he asked, bemused by the whole scenario.

"No," M'Gann said, grasping Superboy's head. "I save his!" With that, she opened a link to him before digging through his memories, bringing them all back to surface at once. Images of CADMUS, the genomorphs, Dubbilex, and the laboratory all passed through his mind, before more conscious thoughts came through.

" _We are trying to help you!" Aqualad's voice said as images of Conner alongside Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, and Djinn in CADMUS appeared before him._

" _I was just trying to be part of the team," M'Gann said nervously as Conner placed a gentle hand on her shoulder._

" _You did alright," he assured her. Suddenly more images flashed by, of Ivo and his Amazo 2, Bane, the MONQIs, Blockbuster, and Mister Twister._

" _Get on board, or get out of the way!" Superboy said to the Justice League defiantly, as the founders seemed to stare him down._

" _Hey Superboy, come meet Miss M!" Tim said eagerly as he waved the clone over to their newest teammate. More memories of the red-headed girl flashed by, including seeing her with her Uncle and Aunt back at the Cave before they began their training with Black Canary._

" _We'll uh... we'll figure something out for you," Superman said dismissively. "The League will I mean. Duty calls."_

 _More thoughts suddenly flashed by, this time of Keemia. Laughing with her at Barry's expense, holding her as she cried over Kent Nelson, and walking with her through a portal to her own house._

" _You want me to stay here? With you?"_

" _Yep. I figured you could use an actual home to stay in that wasn't just a hollow mountain." Keemia offered, as she welcomed Conner into her home, where Flint and Zatanna greeted him with opened arms._

 _More images flashed by now, this time of their numerous victories as a team, up until when they returned from the Tower of Fate._

" _The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman explained as the team sat in the Bioship, preparing for their arrival in Bialya._

" _Forget…" Psimon ordered as he forced his telepathic assault on the team through M'Gann's connection to them, sending Superboy into a feral rage as he remembered all his various rampages through the past day. Fighting M'Gann, the soldiers, being restrained on the table, destroying the tanks. Finally, it finished with M'Gann currently attacking Psimon until one last memory played for him._

" _I'm so sorry, I should have paid more attention," M'Gann said nervously as she took a cloth before starting to clean Superboy with it. She was in a mad rush to make more cookies and as a result, ended up spilling most of her ingredients all over the clone. "It was too much at once, too much at once. Heh, Hello Megan. That's so me!" she rambled before looking up at the clone as her eyes met his._

 _There was a long pause as the two looked at each other, their eyes never once leaving their focus. "I…' M'Gann trailed off before the vision faded, and Conner's memories were back._

After returning to the mindscape, Conner looked at M'Gann in realization before nodding, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Kick his butt." He said confidently before he faded, returning to the real world.

"By all means," Psimon chuckled. "Kick my psychic butt."

M'Gann looked at the villain with a focused glare before unleashing another psychic attack at him.

* * *

As Conner returned to the real world, he could hear the sound of guns being loaded off to the side as soldiers ran into the tent to attack him and the now visible M'Gann. However, the sphere was quick to respond as it ran over the soldiers, sending them sprawling over the ground. Once that was taken care of, it turned to Superboy before beeping, almost as though it were seeking approval.

"Uh… thanks?" he offered before more soldiers rushed in attacking Conner and the sphere. Conner gave a defiant roar before leaping towards them, while M'Gann increased her psychic assault against Psimon. Off to the side, Ace watched the entire situation unfold, her own psychic shield still masking her presence to everyone.

"This ends now," the girl decided before she too entered the mental fray.

* * *

In the mindscape, M'Gann launched numerous orbs of psychic energy at Psimon, hoping to strike the villain. However, he blocked them all with ease before reaching out with a massive black tendril of psychic energy, that attempting to trap M'Gann. The girl released four beams of energy to stave of Psimon's assault as the villain was forced backwards, blocking them with a small shield.

The beams soon ceased and he released the shield, only to be met with M'Gann striking him in the face with a punch that sent him flying back a few feet across the mindscape. Psimon cursed himself inwardly for allowing such an amateur mistake on his part. He felt like a fool for getting so distracted. How could this have happened? He should have seen it coming!

In his rage he grew larger until he towered over M'Gann, unleashing a massive beam of energy from his domed forehead. However, the Martian girl simply made numerous duplicates of herself which surrounded him. They all then unleashed their own beams at the villain as he cried out in pain, before curling in on himself and spinning rapidly to send the numerous M'Gann clones scattering across the mindscape.

The clones all faded as M'Gann formed a shield, similar to the crest of the House of El as the mindscape once again started fading away to white as Psimon erased it, firing yet another powerful attack towards the young Martian.

* * *

Superboy knocked the last of the soldiers to the ground before feeling an overwhelming oppression of psychic energy striking him from behind. He turned in time to see both Psimon and M'Gann now floating in the air a few feet off the ground. However, the scientists were now floating in the air as a result of the psychic energy the released, each one flailing about in a panic.

The psychic energy suddenly exploded out again, forming a massive tornado as the soldiers and the sphere were suddenly sucked in. Superboy dug his hands into the ground, struggling to not be pulled into the cyclone as well.

"Conner!" a voice called, as the clone turned to see Ace standing just a few feet away, her eyes glowing yellow as she used her telekinesis to hold herself in place.

"Ace? Is that you?" the clone called back.

"You need to help M'gann! She's trying her hardest, but Psimon's raw control is over-powering her. I need to infiltrate him from within, but for now, you have to help M'Gann!" she said hurriedly. The clone nodded once before leaping through the cyclone and landing next to M'Gann.

Like before, she and Psimon were still locked in their mental battle. However, judging from the effort clearly expressed on M'Gann's strained face, compared to the collected composure on Psimon's, it was clear who the current victor was.

Superboy grunted before reaching out and grasping her hand. 'M'Gann!" he called out before once again entering the mindscape with them. When he entered, he found M'Gann shielding herself from Psimon's assault inside a bubble, while the villain continued a powerful attack against them.

"H-he's too strong." She said fearfully as the memories around her once again started to fade away, Psimon grinning victoriously.

"You're strong… and I'm stubborn!" Superboy said defiantly, as he held her hand tighter. "Together!"

She looked at him for a moment before nodding, her confidence restored. "Together." She said as the memories around her continue to fade. Then, turning to face Psimon, she forced her psychic energy to pool around her at once, as the villain now struggled to keep his hold. "Get… out…. Of my… head!"

All at once, the energy was released as the memories restored themselves, forcing Psimon back as he cried out painfully and M'Gann regained control. After a minute though, the villain regained his senses before sneering at the two of them. "Congratulations, you now equal me regarding raw power. Took you long enough to get there. Unfortunately for you, that won't be enough. I am still the most accomplished telepath here."

"Wanna bet?" a voice echoed, as Psimon looked around fearfully.

"What? Who's there?!" He said in shock.

"I am," Ace said as she faded into view.

"Oh… Waller's little science experiment. So you've finally decided to arrive, have you?"

"No, I've been here the whole time." Ace said with a small smirk. "You might have noticed your focus slipping slightly, one or two blows that you should have dodged or even blocked… and yet…" she trailed off as Psimon remembered when M'Gann struck her earlier.

"That was you! You distracted me, but how? I should have sensed you!" Psimon said in shock.

"Because I outclass you… in every way." Ace said with a cold glare. "When you attacked us, I was able to defend myself, to keep my memories. Some of them were temporarily blocked, I will admit, but I regained them easily afterwards. With M'Gann's help, of course." She said, looking over to her Martian friend, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"This is impossible. I'm the most powerful telepath on the planet!" Psimon said, outraged.

"Far from it. You're lucky to be in the top five. Especially with Martian Manhunter around, and especially with me around." Ace said darkly as another voice started echoing around them. This one a dark, menacing laughter. A laugh that would send chills down the spine of every hero. A laugh that every Gotham resident knew far too well. "You think yourself capable of ruining my mind? Someone already tried that… Want to know what happened to them?" Ace asked as the laughter grew louder, and Psimon looked around as images of the Clown Prince of Crime suddenly flashed before him.

"No… stop this, I beg you!" Psimon cried out as he grasped his head painfully under Ace's secret assault. "I'm begging you, have mercy!"

"This is mercy." Ace said before unleashing a massive telepathic assault at Psimon, causing the villain to cry out painfully. As she did so, M'Gann rejoined the charge, fuelled in part by Conner's presence as the two telepathic girls severed Psimon's connection to their mindscape.

* * *

Psimon's hold finally broke as the villain fell back into the psychic tornado, the winds growing strong enough that they completely destroyed the tent and the basecamp along with it. With the villain's influence gone, M'Gann finally released her telepathy, falling back into Conner's arms as Ace used her own power to carefully set the people caught in the gale onto the ground, the winds around them dying down. Psimon however, was sent careening away with an unseen telekinetic force, crashing in the sand a few miles away.

Conner looked at M'Gann with a soft smile as the girl slowly stirred in his arms, before smiling back at him weakly. The two stayed like that before Conner cupped her chin and they slowly started moving towards each other.

"That's sweet," Ace said with a small smile as the sphere rolled back alongside her before letting loose a string of beeps, breaking Conner and M'Gann out of their moment. "My thoughts exactly," Ace giggled to the sphere before looking at her teammates. "Sorry for ruining your moment there."

Conner and M'Gann simply sat there, dumbfounded, before a grin came over the clone's face. "Can I keep it?"

* * *

 **Qurac – September 5** **th** **, 02:32 EEST**

"Alright, Nina's asleep and recovering from what was clearly both shock and being over-worked," Keemia saidwith a sigh as she sat down next to the bed where they'd laid Kaldur. He was currently hooked up to an IV machine in order to rehydrate him, and he already looked better than he did just a few hours before.

Artemis nodded to Keemia before coming over and dabbing a cold cloth on their Atlantean teammate's forehead, hoping to cool him down more. " _Hey everybody, Ace and I have got Superboy!"_ M'Gann called out telepathically, the excitement clearly evident in her voice. _"He's back to normal and we're on our way!"_

At the sudden telepathic intrusion, Aqualad suddenly gasped before sitting bolt upright on the bed, completely awake. "Who are you? And how did you get inside my head?" he asked in a panic before Artemis and Keemia slowly eased him back down.

" _Hello, Megan! Aqualad's memories!"_ the Martian girl scolded herself lightly. _"I knew I forgot something."_

" _Kind of a big oversight on your part."_ Keemia pointed out.

" _To be fair, it's been a trying day for all of us,"_ Ace reminded her.

" _Aw man, I forgot something too. I didn't get a souvenir from the mission."_ Barry scolded himself lightly.

" _Don't worry,"_ M'Gann assured him, as she looked down with Ace and Superboy to see the sphere rolling behind them. " _Got the souvenir thing covered."_

* * *

 **Mount Justice – September 5** **th** **, 12:01 EDT**

"So, you said you wanted to… talk to me?" Ashley stammered, a blush growing on her face as she looked at Keemia. Since the team had returned from their mission, the team had gone their separate ways to return home. However, since Keemia's parents were in deep-space with some other members of the League at the moment, she elected to stay at the cave at least for a bit. Conner went on home ahead of her, but Ashley stayed behind to talk with her friend.

"Yeah, I did." Keemia nodded, clutching a mug of coffee tightly in her hands as she moved to sit on the couch. Ashley followed her, sitting on the other side of the couch as she watched Keemia expectantly. "I guess I should just say it now, but… Ashley, I like you. As more than a friend, I mean." She started, still incredibly nervous about the whole thing. "At first I wasn't sure, I've never liked anyone before. It was so new to me that I didn't know what to do. But now… after having thought about it, it just… feels right, y'know?"

She looked to Ashley, who seemed to be rooted in thought about the whole thing. Keemia gave a heavy sigh before sipping her drink. "I guess it was wrong of me to say that, wasn't it? Here I go falling for my best friend, and I don't even know if she feels the same way. Hell, I'm just now discovering I like girls, I can't go assuming that you do too." She said before looking away with a frown. "I'm sorry for bugging you with this… I hope I didn't ruin our friendship too much…"

Keemia started to stand but stopped when she felt Ashley grip her wrist gently. "You didn't ruin our friendship at all… And I do." She said before blushing darker. "Like you, I mean." She said nervously. Keemia looked at her in surprise before slowly sitting back down on the couch. "I have about as much experience with it as you do, but Mrs. Waller found someone for me to talk to about it, and they helped me to understand what my feelings meant." She explained, remembering the long conversation she had with Harley regarding her feelings. "And now, I know what they mean. They mean that I like girls, or at least, that I like you." She said, looking to Keemia with a kind smile.

Keemia blushed darkly as tears slowly brimmed in the corner of her eyes. "Ashley…" she whispered before the telepath reached out, pressing a finger on her lips.

"Don't speak, at least, not for now." She whispered before leaning in and kissing Keemia. It wasn't the same as before, the searing kiss that Keemia gave her back in Bialya. This one was more earnest, tender even, as the two girls lost themselves in their feelings. After a moment, they reluctantly broke away to catch their breaths, but they never once looked away from each other.

"How did you want to go about this?" Keemia asked.

'You mean… telling the team?" Ashley frowned.

"Well, yeah. They'll need to know eventually. Otherwise, it might affect our ability to function in the team. We can't just forsake everything for our feelings, no matter how much we'd like to." Keemia pointed out, albeit reluctantly.

"You're right." Ashley nodded. "In that case, how about we're only a couple when we're not on a mission? In the field, we act as teammates only."

Keemia thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Alright, I can get behind that. I still feel like we should wait a bit to tell anyone. At least until we're more comfortable in this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. How long did you want to wait?"

"Not too long. Just enough that we're ready to make the big announcement. We can at least tell our families about it though." Keemia offered. "Which leaves just one more bit of business; Ashley Walch, will you be my girlfriend?"

Ashley smiled warmly, before giving Keemia a light peck on the cheek. "Yes. Yes, I will."

* * *

 **Bialya – September 5** **th** **, 13:02 EEST**

"The Martian girl escaped. With the sphere, Nina Dowd, and the Superboy." Psimon admitted reluctantly, as he stood in front of seven screens projecting the silhouettes of the Light. He was internally horrified at what their reactions might be to the news. He was a powerful telepath, but even he had limits. And this… cabal knew precisely how to push them.

And how to overcome them.

After a few agonizing seconds of waiting, they finally answered him. "That hardly matters." A woman's voice said, her voice haughty and vain. "What matters is the successful test of our new partner's delivery system."

As she said this, another screen behind Psimon suddenly turned on, playing footage of a Boomtube opening in front of the Bialyan soldiers, and depositing the sphere in front of them on the sand. "More tech will come," she continued. "Tech that will put the sphere, and perhaps even the Superboy, to shame."

At that, Psimon's confident smirk returned in full force.

* * *

 **And done! How was that?**

 **Hopefully it was worth the wait.**

 **We get a hint of Ace's true strength, and it is horrifyingly strong. Trust me, we'll be seeing more of that. Psimon will also be back, and he was probably one of the characters I had the most fun with when I wrote him. He's just great.**

 **Also, Ashley and Keemia finally confess their feelings. This is a major milestone and I hope you find it as sweet to read it as it was to write it. I've been excited about this for a while.**

 **teasing Kid Flash and Artemis is always fun. And a lucrative use of time.**

 **M'Gann goes on to show that she's strong, but she has a way to go. But she'll have Superboy there to help her along the way. And there will be tons of cute moments to help with that. And a sphere!**

 **Also, Nina Dowd appears. She might not have a very large role going forwards, but she will be an ally and confidant to the team. Full credit to Dion ComicWiz for the idea btw. Hopefully you like where I take her in the future.**

 **But with the Bialya mission over, they're not out of the woods yet. Conner will face his greatest foe ever; SCHOOL!**

 **And Keemia will have to face a triple bill of trouble. Roy Harper, The League of Shadows, and... Lex Luthor?!**

 **Tune in next time for "Targets".**

 **And as always be sure to read and review! I love them all, and they mean a lot to me.**

 **Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take as long to get out to you guys.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	10. Targets

**Welcome back one and all! Yet another chapter has arrived just for you!**

 **Allow me to wish each and every one of you a very (belated) Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, please accept a Happy Holidays instead. I hope that everyone had a nice safe and happy time during this season, especially as we prepare for the New Year. Speaking of the New Year, this will be the last chapter uploaded until 2019. But don't worry, I'll be back relatively soon with it. Hopefully the extended waits won't be nearly as numerous. But with another semester of school starting next month, we shall see.**

 **This was definitely a fun chapter to tackle, and one that I've been excited to do for a while. The next one will be yet another one of these, so I hope you folks enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.**

 **But first, as always, let's check out some of the reviews!**

 **rmarcano321: Id there a theme to this fanfic? Again, not really. There are some underlying slight themes about independence, maturity, and the usual limit to respecting authority. But those were also present in the original source show. As for my favourite villains, Marvel is easy. Doctor Doom is the single greatest comic book villain in all of recorded history, and he is also my absolute favourite from the House of Ideas. As for DC, I love the Riddler and I love Lex Luthor. They're just enjoyable in how calculating and indirect they can be. Although Darkseid is always enjoyable, as is Snowflame.**

 **darthwolf: Don't worry, Clark will get what's coming to him. Eventually.**

 **Malchior the Bad: Yeah, I suppose I did take forever, didn't I?**

 **Celgress: Oh you have no idea how frightening she can be. We've only scratched the surface.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Always good to hear from you my friend. Ace was definitely a sly stand-in for Layla. As flawed as House of M was, it's definitely got some highlights, and Layla was one of them. Yeah she doesn't really hold back either. Her subtly and presence are definitely far above anyone else they've encountered so far, so it's so much fun to explore exactly how much more powerful she can get. I'm glad you liked Nina's introduction. There will be more for from her later in terms of what she'll do for the team, and I'm definitely excited to explore it. Heh, Jason potentially being a secret weeb was just too fun to pass up, but I'm not sure if I'll really pursue it later. Maybe if it fits the time for another joke. Ashley and Keemia's relationship has been something I was excited for since the beginning, so I'm definitely ready to work on it more and build it up. It's a cute dynamic. I'll admit that I'm unsure about the Shadows/Assassins classification. For now, the Shadows are just that, so I don't really know if the Assassins will become a plot point in the future. I actually had to go and look up what exactly the H-Dial was, but from what I saw "Dial H for Hero" sounds hilarious. I don't think I'll be adapting it though. I already have a bunch of stories and ideas and characters in the plan already, and that might just overcrowd it a touch. Wendy and Marvin will be their counterparts from the YJ show just to keep it simple. As for Wonder Dog, he already had a tiny little cameo in Sandman Unlimited. It was in "Ultimatum" if I can recall correctly. As always though, thank you for your in-depth review.**

 **7-Eleventh: Trust me, Conner will be getting a last name. And it will be fitting. He won't be going to school with Megan however... "Revelations" Will for sure have an expanded Injustice League roster, and I've already finalized just who will show up. Gotta keep some surprises though. Jason will not be appearing in this chapter though. It was just getting a little too crowded already and I wanted to make sure everyone got enough screen time. Coldsnap will be appearing again VERY soon. And yes, as you've mentioned previously, I have noticed the various members of the Fearsome Five that have appeared previously. I will not be adapting that team though. Too crowded in the future plans already.**

 **Guest from Nov 21: As I have said multiple times before, there will be no major Marvel crossover in this story beyond the elements that have already appeared in the previous chapters and in Sandman Unlimited. There will be NO THANOS.**

 **Zeo: No, they will not be having a biological son.**

 **Mysterygirl145: Sandman being a hero surprised me at first too. But I grew to love it so fast. It definitely is a surprise to find out what exactly has happened to your favourite characters outside of TV and Movies. And yeah, damn you joker. I have to admit though, I never once considered who exactly would be voicing who in my series. The Justice League would definitely keep their voices from Young Justice or else JLU. Especially Batman, because Kevin Conroy is amazing and Zatanna was played best by Jennifer Hale. Frost and Shark have their Assault on Arkham voice actors, and Sandman keeps John DiMaggio from Spectacular Spider-Man. You know what, Shocker and Rhino keep their Spectacular Spider-Man voice actors too. As for Keemia, she gets voiced by Danielle Judovits, no question.**

 **TheGreatGodzilla: The scenes with Zatanna from "Humanity" will be changed so that a different character fulfills a similar role. Marvel stuff may be mentioned if it becomes relevant. It already happened several times in Sandman Unlimited (Flint mentions the Secret Invasion and Civil War after all), but they won't be frequent. The entirety of the League knows of the other world, but it is kept under incredibly tight security. "With great power comes great responsibility" already got tossed around in the previous story, so it'll probably show up again... eventually.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews you've left! It helps me out immensely to see the warm response every time, and I always enjoy receiving them.**

 **And now, for the disclaimer: I own nothing but my original idea. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Keemia Marko and all related characters are owned by Marvel and therefore Disney. Please support the official releases.**

 **Now away we go!**

* * *

 **Taipei – September 7** **th** **, 19:20 NST**

"This is Cat Grant, reporting from Taipei where the historic peace summit between South Rhelasia and North Rhelasia has completely broken down." The blonde reporter said with her usual smile. The journalist was one of many who had come overseas to report on what was to be a historic event. The two warring countries had arranged the meeting between their leaders to form a peace treaty.

However, the tensions between the two countries proved to be far more prevalent and hostile than presumed. Their long-standing feud and history of bad blood had proved to almost be their own undoing as the talks moved forwards.

"As a last resort, Prime Minister Tseng of South Rhelasia and North Rhelasia's General Singh Mann Li have agreed to bring in an independent arbitrator." The reporter continued as her cameraman moved to get a better view of the two leaders. Tseng was dressed in a sharp business suit, surrounded by several bodyguards who appeared much like the secret service. Li, however, was dressed in his finest military garb, surrounded by several of his own private soldiers who had formed a near impenetrable barrier around their leader. Despite the guards, both leaders still took time to cast dirty looks at their counterpart.

"But who is it?" Cat asked rhetorically. "Speculation has run from the secretary general of the United Nations to Superman. But the Man of Steel seems unlikely as I'm told the arbitrator is due to arrive by car, not cape, at any moment."

Off to the side and behind a large pillar, Roy Harper looked out at the crowd of onlookers, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. He carefully scanned the crowd, looking for any particular figures, before adjusting the tie on his suit. The archer had chosen to dress similar to the rest of the security detail to ensure he blended in as well as possible. Still, even with his best efforts, he would have to remain vigilant if he wanted to avoid detection.

'Maybe I should have asked for that glamour after all,' he chastised himself mentally, remembering an offer that Keemia had made to him when he first mentioned this mission to her and Kaldur, before spotting a figure of interest. His eyes narrowed before he pressed the communicator in his ear.

"Aqualad," a voice from the other end answered.

"Red Arrow," Roy greeted simply. "I need access to the Justice League's database, and the exact height of the League of Shadows assassin known as Cheshire."

"Wow Roy, didn't know you were that dedicated to the espionage stuff." Keemia snarked as she and Aqualad worked together in the Team's mission room, searching through the databases on their holoscreen. "So does this make me your equivalent to Otacon?"

"No, that would be Kaldur. You'd be lucky to be Mei Ling." Roy answered smirking ever so slightly.

Keemia huffed indignantly as Kaldur simply rolled his eyes. "Checking…" he muttered before the database loaded the results they were looking for. "Cheshire is 1.67 metres."

There was an extended silence. "Um…"

"She's 5'6", and exceptionally dangerous." Aqualad clarified, warning his friend of the danger posed.

"Don't take her lightly Roy. Single hand-to-hand combat is her forte. She'll bait you until you're vulnerable, and you can only avoid her poisons for so long." Keemia warned. "Also, get on the metric system already."

"Noted," Roy said, rolling his eyes. "Didn't know you cared so much."

"You're one of my best friends Roy, of course I would care." She said before pausing. "You're still mad about me turning you down, aren't you?" she accused. Several months back, before the Team was even formed, Roy had attempted, somewhat unsuccessfully to ask Keemia out on a date. She had been polite enough in her refusal, but the awkwardness around them was definitely palpable in the months following.

"No, it's not about that!" he said sharply before sighing. "Sorry for snapping. I guess I'm just stressing myself out here. Anything else you can give me on Cheshire?"

"Try and play distance if you can. She has exceptional skill at long range with her knives, but it's definitely weaker than you with your bow. If you have to engage close quarters, always watch her trailing hand. It'll carry the knife with the most potent toxin." Keemia said, remembering her own fight with the assassin a few weeks prior. "My advice? Try and grapple her, then try to dislocate some fingers. It'll halt her effectiveness, and hopefully distract her long enough for a takedown."

"Understood," he nodded, returning focus to the crowd.

"Do you require backup?" Kaldur asked.

"Please, the last thing I need is the Junior Justice League." Roy scoffed, before pressing a button on his sunglasses which immediately scanned the crowd for individuals matching Cheshire's height.

"Just our computer," Kaldur replied with his own rarely used sarcasm.

Roy snorted at that before his scan suddenly picked up an almost identical figure. He focused more intently on one of the merchants who was standing inside a magazine kiosk, before receiving a positive confirmation on their identity. Cheshire was here.

"Got her," Roy said.

"Be careful out there Roy. Djinn out." Keemia warned him again, as Kaldur nodded.

"Good luck my friend, Aqualad out."

As his friends dropped their end of the call, Roy pressed a button on the suitcase he was holding to reveal his bow, before readying it in case Cheshire made her move. He carefully drew it, mindful of his surroundings before the sounds of approaching vehicles drew his attention back to the front of the building. A police escort, led by motorcycles was carefully guiding a limousine out in front of the building. Clearly, the third party delegate had arrived.

"The arbitrator has arrived," Cat said excitedly as she urged her cameraman to get a good shot of the limousine. Roy ducked behind a few low-lying bushes before looking out at the magazine stand. Cheshire had disappeared from inside and instead emerged onto the roof, in her full assassin garb. It seemed in place of her usual subtly, she had instead opted for the basics. A massive RPG was clutched in her hands as she took careful aim at the limousine.

Her finger slowly started to depress the trigger, before Roy suddenly fired the arrow he had notched in his bow. It met its mark, striking her hand and startling the assassin enough that she launched the rocket straight up into the air and off course. The effect was immediate, as the crowd started running away in a panic, with the police escort moving to protect the limo. Both Tseng and Li were immediately put into a protective formation by their guards as Cat, and her cameraman simply opted to crouch low to the ground, out of the line of fire.

"Did you get that? Did you get that shot?" she asked her frantically nodding cameraman.

Cheshire rolled her eyes under the mask before deciding to use the distraction of the sudden panic to her advantage. She leapt from the roof, running across the shoulders of the fleeing onlookers before landing in front of the car. Two guards immediately attempted to stop her, but the assassin easily knocked them aside with a flurry of kicks. One grabbed her from behind, but she lifted herself into the air, kicking two more away before twisting out of his hold and sending him crashing to the ground with a well-placed uppercut to his solar plexus.

She drew her twin Sai before rushing the car, nimbly dodging out of the aim of the numerous guards who were attempting to shoot her before Roy leapt out. He fired another arrow, this one releasing a net which Cheshire easily cut through. But that only proved to be a distraction as he easily tackled her to the ground afterwards, just as her rocket returned to earth, detonating the magazine kiosk she had been hiding in moments before.

Cheshire rolled along the ground with Roy before ending up on top straddling him. She got her bearings long enough to see the dozen or so guards who were levelling guns right to her face. "Don't move!" one of the guards yelled dangerously as the assassin put her hands behind her head in surrender.

"We have just witnessed an assassination attempt, live." Cat said excitedly, looking right into the camera, as the driver of the limousine stepped out "Thankfully, no one seems to have been hurt, including our mystery arbitrator."

'Oh my god… it can't be.' Roy thought to himself as he looked at the driver, recognizing her immediately as Mercy Graves, the head of security at LexCorp. 'It is… then that means…" he thought before his eyes widened in disbelief.

He stood up gasping in surprise as he saw the man himself stepping out of his limo, before adjusting his tie, as he gave Mercy an appreciative nod. Cat seemed to echo his surprise as she too was utterly floored by the mystery arbitrator being…

"Lex Luthor?"

* * *

After the initial shock of the attempted assassination had worn off of everybody, Cheshire was placed in heavy cuffs before being detained by the local law enforcement. The police drove off with the assassin as Mercy looked at the car with interest, a phone clutched in her hand. She ended her call before nodding once to her billionaire boss.

Luthor nodded back before turning to the rest of the law enforcement, who had seen fit to place Roy in cuffs as well for his own involvement. "We have confirmation. This one's Green Arrow's pal, Speedy."

Roy was silent for a moment before looking away almost indignantly. "It's Red Arrow now."

"He must be questioned," the on-duty police captain insisted before Lex shook his head.

"Lex Luthor vouches for him, captain. Release the sidekick." He said, taking in a great deal of satisfaction from the look of annoyance that Roy shot him.

"Ex-sidekick." Roy scowled as the cops removed the cuffs from his wrists. "And I don't need any favours from you."

"My apologies," Luthor said with a subtle smirk as Roy started walking away. "I didn't realize you wished to join the young lady behind bars."

Roy stopped before turning and levelling a flat-glare at the billionaire. "You may have everyone here fooled Luthor, but I know what you are." Roy scowled, still clearly remembering Luthor's past history. While the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten all about Lex's criminal record, which was in itself missing from ever database on Earth, the League and all of their allies still had clear memories of it. A fact that amused Luthor to no end as he seemed to relish the thought at every opportunity, almost taunting the League with his renewed success.

"Oh, I don't pretend to be an angel. It just so happens that this time I'm on the side of the angels." Lex corrected before walking into the embassy with Mercy and Roy hot on his heels.

As soon as the three had entered, they immediately noticed the numerous reports clamoured around the base of a staircase just across the room ahead of them. At the top of the stairs on a small landing, both Rhelasian leaders were surrounded by their guards, and very clearly in some sort of heated argument with each other.

Cat was quick to continue with her cameraman in recording the events as they unfolded. "The violence outside has not helped the peace process." She reported as Tseng shot a jeering look at his North Rhelasian rival.

"Hiring assassins, Li? Had you no one among your own troops to do the North's dirty work?" The Prime Minister accused.

"I need no assassins Tseng!" General Li denied vehemently, as one of his soldiers held the raging general back until he had regained his composure. "Such is the method of a Southern coward!"

The two leaders quickly devolved into insulting each other in their native tongues as Cat watched the argument, almost in disbelief. "Tensions are running high, and troops are amassing on the border between the two countries. Right now, Lex Luthor seems to be the best, or only, hope for peace."

Roy frowned as he took all of this in before he shot an accusatory sneer at the billionaire. "Why should either side trust you?"

"Because LexCorp is a company founded on peaceful enterprise for all humanity," Lex answered simply, giving what was clearly a pre-rehearsed and often used speech.

"Cut the act Luthor," Roy scowled. "I've got intel linking LexCorp's shell companies to the sale of weapons in both Rhelasias. You're profiting off this war. So what's your angle?"

Luthor looked at the hero, almost bemused before he leaned in closer. "War income is pocket change compared to the billions that can be made investing in a peaceful, united Rhelasia." He said before shrugging. "Besides, isn't it better to have peace even if that scoundrel Lex Luthor profits from it?"

"That scoundrel may not survive to profit. Cheshire failed, but the League of Shadows won't stop until the contract is fulfilled." Roy pointed out.

"Which does beg the question, who hired the League?" Lex asked, giving Roy a pointed look.

"And… were you really the target?" Roy asked in realization as he turned to look at the bickering leaders. "Or was your death just a convenient way to sabotage the summit?"

"Allow me to hire you to find out," Lex offered.

"Your money has blood on it, and I'm not here to make a buck," Roy said as Luthor simply chuckled.

"So, you'll provide your services, but for free?" Lex asked, placing a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I can live with that, hero." He chuckled before removing his hand and straightening his jacket. "Now, excuse me. I have a hemisphere to save." He smirked before walking up the stairs to the Rhelasian leaders. "Gentlemen, gentlemen. Shall we attempt some smiles for the cameras?"

* * *

 **Mount Justice – September 7** **th** **, 06:41 EDT**

Down in the garage of the Team's base, Conner held a wrench in his hand, his face focused intently on the bike in front of him as he tightened another piece of the frame. His interest in cars and motorcycles had been a recent development, but after helping Flint with his car the other day, he discovered he really loved being a mechanic. If not a hobby, he was determined to make a career out of it one day.

He hummed to himself as the Sphere he picked up in Bialya rolled around behind him, trying to get his attention. When that didn't work, it moved right up to the clone before nudging his back gently. Conner smirked before chuckling. "Jealous much?"

The sphere rolled back, making a few beeping noises as it spun in place, before rolling towards him again. Conner laughed, stopping it with one hand. "Alright, alright." He relented, wiping some of the axle grease from his face with a spare cloth.

"Ready for school?" M'Gann called as she flew into the garage, flanked by Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, Kaldur, and Keemia. "I made our lunches."

"The first day of a scholastic season carries great cultural resonance," J'onn said in his usual flat tone. "We want to wish you both well."

"No need for that. I'll be showing Conner around, after all, he's going to be going to my school." Keemia pointed out, hefting her book bag onto one shoulder as she gave Conner a wry grin. "Bet you conveniently forgot about that little detail, huh?"

"I might have," he deflected, his own smirk adorning his face. "Guess it's a Kryptonian thing."

"You may wish to change before you depart," Kaldur advised.

"He's got a point. The general public might be ignorant to your identity for now, but dressing like that would be pushing it. Not everything works like a pair of glasses." Keemia nodded.

"Ah, I spent hours choosing this outfit," M'Gann said eagerly before shifting from her uniform into a white shirt, with a red cardigan and matching skirt that went to just above her knees. She had long white socks and black flats, as well as a red headband. "What do you think? Can M'Gann M'Orzz pass as an Earth girl now?"

Kaldur looked at his still green teammate, his face skeptical, while Keemia held back a laugh at the Atlantean's hesitance. "Well…"

"Just kidding!" the Martian laughed before her skin turned a Caucasian tone. "Meet Megan Morse." She greeted again, curtseying a little with her skirt before she turned to Conner. "What's your last name going to be Conner?" she asked curiously.

Conner gave a meek smile, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, it's still a little new to me but…"

"His full name is Conner Marko." Keemia interrupted, drawing Megan's attention away from the blushing clone. "My dad and step-mom decided to invite him into the family for real. As of last night, he's been adopted into the Clan Marko."

"So you two are siblings for real now? That's amazing!" Megan exclaimed as Kaldur nodded in approval, placing a hand on his teammates' shoulder.

"Congratulations my friend. It must be nice to have a real family after so long."

Conner looked away for a moment before giving a grateful smile to Keemia. "Yeah, it is." He nodded.

"Well, Conner Marko still needs to change his shirt," Megan said, pointing to the S-Shield on his chest. "You don't want to go revealing your identity."

The clone looked at it for a moment before sighing and taking the shirt off and turning it inside out, before showing it to the Martian girl. "Will this work?" he asked as Megan looked at the clone, her face tow tinged pink with a deep blush.

"Works for me." She swooned as Keemia face-palmed.

"Ugh, break it up you two. We still need to prep you before you head off to school. Don't want to make any faux pas." She said before handing Conner a sheet of paper after the clone had put the now plain black t-shirt on. "Oh, and here's your schedule for the term."

"Thanks." He nodded before the three walked off to finish getting ready. "Wait, whose idea was the art class?"

J'onn, Tornado, and Kaldur watched them walk off before the elder Martian sighed wistfully. "They grow up so fast."

* * *

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" Cheshire asked coyly, as she went through various tai chi exercises in her cell. After his little confrontation with Luthor, Red Arrow immediately suited up and left for the police station, hoping to get answers out of the would-be assassin. However, he had spent the last several minutes just watching her from the other side of the bars.

"I think you know what I'm after." He said matter-of-factly, his face impassive. 'Why do all the gorgeous ones have to be assassins?' he asked himself mentally before shaking his head to focus.

Cheshire noticed his little slip and smirked wider. "I do, actually. Do you?" she asked, stretching provocatively as she rested her left foot against the bars. Roy stepped back before folding his arms across his chest.

"Who hired you?" the archer asked. 'And why didn't anyone warn me about her using seduction as a distraction?'

Cheshire simply shrugged. "Shadows."

"Who hired them?" Roy asked again.

"I don't ask." She answered before merely giving him a sultry wink.

Roy stood his ground, trying as hard as he could to fight against the blush that was working its way across his face. "What's the end game? The peace summit, or Luthor himself?" he demanded, his patience wearing thin.

Cheshire finished her exercises before pointing a finger gun at the young archer. "Two birds, one stone." She said before her hands found themselves placed on her hips. "Hey, where are your little sidekick friends? They're always fun to play with, especially the sorceress and Ar- …chery girl." She corrected. "I like her."

"She- _they,_ aren't in my league." Roy countered.

"And you think you're in mine?" Cheshire asked as she moved to the bars before reaching through, grasping Roy's shirt, and pulling him forward until their faces were only inches apart. "Where's Green Arrow when you really need him?"

"I don't," he said slowly, trying to keep his cool.

"Sure about that?" she asked, cupping his face gently as she slowly pulled him closer. Roy's thoughts were running at a mile a minute as he went over every possible variable that came to mind. 'Okay Roy, don't panic. You're just about to be kissed by a world-class assassin. Dick has Kori, why can't you get one? No, she's a murderer. She needs to be brought to Justice! But… I could use some help in the romance department. Maybe I am still feeling Keemia's dejection… what the hell. Why not?' he decided, about to give in when Cheshire suddenly let go and ducked to the floor.

Roy took all of two seconds to put the pieces together. "Oh shit…" he muttered before the wall of the cell suddenly exploded inward, launching Roy across the room as a massive hole was blasted in the far side of the jail. A rope slid down from above, and along with it, Sportsmaster.

Cheshire coughed at the dust before giving the other assassin a scowl. "Ugh! It had to be you!"

"Beggars can't be choosers little girl." He pointed out, clearly amused by the situation. "Coming?" he asked before sliding down the rope. As soon as he was out of the way, Cheshire followed down behind him.

Roy was back on his feet a few seconds later, cursing himself for his negligence before he ran up to the roof and looked out over the edge. He could see the two making their escape together, running across adjacent rooftops as they hurried to a hovering helicopter. The archer fired a grappling arrow to a nearby skyscraper before using it as a zip line with his bow to follow after them.

Despite their head start, he was quickly able to catch up with them. However, the assassins soon took notice of this. "I admire persistence, but…" Cheshire mused before throwing a shuriken with deadly accuracy and severing the rope of the zip line. Roy dropped and rolled to the roof below him before continuing his pursuit on foot.

Sportsmaster and Cheshire made it to the helicopter, leaping inside as Sportsmaster strapped himself into the co-pilot's chair. "Go, go!" he urged the pilot, as the helicopter slowly took to the air again. Roy was right behind him, another grapple arrow being fired into the helicopter before he held onto the rope as it took off with him. Sportsmaster looked at the archer in disbelief before turning to Cheshire. "Are you even trying to ditch this guy?"

"I really hate to admit it, but he has a point." She called to Roy, almost apologetically, before she used her Sai to cut the arrow in half. With his tether to the chopper now broken, Roy was sent falling dozens of feet to the roof below. Thankfully, he fired a foam arrow in time that he broke his fall with the cushioned substance.

Roy grimaced before crawling out of the foam and retrieving a small device from his pocket. He pressed a button before the screen showed the location of the helicopter and where it was flying. It seemed that while Cheshire had broken the arrow, she failed to notice the tracker that it had left behind on the chopper.

* * *

After having escaped the archer, the two assassins arrived at a nearby base for the Shadows, where Cheshire restocked on her gear. Now clad in her usual favoured mask, she stared Sportsmaster down, her arms firmly folded across her chest. "Because I'm a professional, I won't kill you. At least not while we're on the job."

"You wouldn't have this job if not for me. Grow up already." Sportsmaster admonished her, apparently unfazed by her intent to kill him.

"The evening's agenda was to create strife between nations, not my assassins." A third voice called to them, this one cultured and refined, and very experienced. Cheshire immediately bowed out of respect as Ra's al Ghul stepped out of the darkness and towards his agents.

"Master," the young woman greeted.

"And client." The leader of the Shadows greeted. "So, twice disappointed in your failure." He said with a frown as he walked down a small staircase towards the two. "Luthor has been a thorn in my side for too long, and peaceful countries rarely call upon the League of Shadows. So I expect a better outcome and less interference from that boy." He said before staring behind them, as the two assassins followed his line of sight, seeing Red Arrow perched on the roof behind them, listening in to their conversation.

"Perfect…" the archer sighed before standing up from behind his cover and firing an arrow at the aged master of the Shadows. Sportsmaster was quick to intercept as he used a javelin to easily knock the arrow off to the side while Cheshire immediately sprang into action, running at the archer.

Ra's stepped back into the darkness as his assassins took over, dodging Roy's flurry of arrows as Cheshire leapt onto the roof first, her Sais drawn and ready for the attack. She used them to deflect two more arrows before making a broad swipe at the archer, forcing him back across the roof and out of her range. Another one of his arrows just skimmed through her hair before she sent a flurry of blows right at him. He deflected the first few, until her knee connected solidly with his gut, winding him for a second until he got back into the fight, exchanging punches and kicks with the young woman.

Sportsmaster wasn't far behind, leaping onto the roof before flinging a large discus at the two. Cheshire ducked out of the way, as Roy attempted to block with his bow, only for the metal disc to break through it and continue its sailing flight through a nearby roof. Roy flipped away to the edge, before taking stock of the two assassins that were slowly moving in for the kill. He looked to the river thirty feet below him, before looking back at the two with undisguised hate.

"I hear you go by Red Arrow now." Sportsmaster mused. "Heh, more like 'Broken Arrow'."

* * *

 **Miami, Florida – September 7** **th** **, 07:58 EDT**

"Alright, welcome to my stomping grounds," Keemia said, holding her arms out dramatically as she led Conner through the front doors of her high school. "This is where I get to cause my usual ruckus until the job takes over."

Conner looked around the tightly packed halls with a grimace. He didn't like people at the best of times, so the large crowds were going to take some getting used to on his end. "Looks busy. Do you expect me to know everyone's name?"

"Oh hell no, just the important ones," Keemia said, shaking her head with a laugh before pointing to three individuals who stood of to the side. "Like those three!" she said before dragging Conner off to her friends. "Conner, these are my friends; River, Cupcake, and Loma. Guys, this is my brother Conner."

"A brother? I would have expected long-lost twin." River snarked, shaking Conner's hand.

"I would have said evil body-double." Cupcake chimed in.

"I would have said an alien replicant." Loma joked as Conner gave his own small smirk.

"Hey, keep it quiet. The invasion is supposed to be a secret right now." He joked before the four broke into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, he'll fit in nicely." River nodded with a grin. "So how you related to Keemia?"

"Oh uh… I'm adopted. It became official last night." Conner said, rubbing the back of his head before he stuck his hands in the pockets of his new brown leather jacket.

"That's really nice of your family to do that Keemia." Cupcake said cheerily.

"Hey, it's the least I could do. Besides, he's saved my ass in the field before, so I kinda owe him." Keemia shrugged before Conner looked at her in surprise.

"They know?!"

"Yes we do, and there's no need to worry," Loma assured him. "Your activities are kept confidential between the five of us. After all, I'm also a hero in the field." She greeted before demonstrating a few of her meta-powers by generating a swirl of colours and shapes from her hand. "My identity is Shade, the Changing Girl, and I'm the current owner of the M-vest."

Conner nodded, still unsure, before looking at River and Cupcake. "What about those two?"

"Oh, we're just regular kids. We leave the fun stuff to you guys." River said, holding his hands up in surrender before Keemia gave him a noogie.

"Kilts aren't normal and you know it!" she teased.

"They are a fashion statement you uncultured swine!" River defending, trying in vain to get the sorceress off of him, while Conner just watched them, unsure of how exactly to react to this.

"Are they always like this?" he asked as Cupcake nodded.

"Yep. This is normal for them."

* * *

Cheshire and Sportsmaster both moved closer to Roy, their hands each clutching their signature weapons tightly; sais for Cheshire, and javelins for Sportsmaster. Roy sighed, admonishing himself mentally for the situation he found himself in. Cheshire simply gave him a friendly wave before Sportsmaster threw one of his javelins. Roy leapt aside to dodge, but the weapon exploded, knocking the archer off of the roof and into the river below.

Sportsmaster threw the other javelin after him, as Roy dove into the water and the javelin after him. Seconds later, there was another massive explosion sending a mass of large waves through the water. Sportsmaster watched the river carefully as Cheshire walked to the edge alongside him.

After a few seconds with no sign of Roy, she looked to see her compatriot walking away from her to continue the job. Casting one last longing glance at the water, she soon followed on after him, leaving the site of the hero's supposed demise.

However, on the other side of the building, Roy emerged from the water before gasping for air as he weakly dragged himself onto the shoreline. He took a few seconds to breathe, trying to get air back into his lungs before he touched the communicator in his ear.

"It's me. I may… possibly, be in over my head."

* * *

"The League of Shadows wants you dead," Red Arrow said bluntly, his arms folded as he looked across the room at Lex. Luthor was currently in the middle of preparing for the next leg of the peace talks, as Mercy worked carefully to make sure his suit was all nice and clean.

"Doesn't every League? I know Superman's certainly thought about it." Luthor remarked with a chuckle, remembering the Justice Lord counterpart of the Man of Steel, who had killed the Luthor of his home reality.

"It's not just Cheshire, its Sportsmaster. And Ra's al Ghul himself." Roy added, distinctly unimpressed with Luthor's apparent apathy towards the situation.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Luthor shrugged, as Mercy carefully slipped his jacket on. He straightened it out. "Ra's is something of a, competitor of mine."

"Then maybe I should stand aside and watch you take each other out," Roy said snidely. Luthor simply rolled his eyes before smirking again.

"You stab at pragmatism is, well, adorable. But the summit and the peace are at stake, remember?" he reminded the archer as Mercy buttoned up his jacket before straightening his tie, finally finishing her work. Luthor nodded appreciatively to his bodyguard before looking at Red Arrow. "We'll increase security. Though, if the Shadows think you're dead, maybe we can surprise them."

Roy then bore his own smirk as he stepped towards the billionaire. "I've got a better surprise."

* * *

"So this art teacher of yours, he's really some incredibly powerful immortal being?" Conner asked skeptically as he observed Mr. Walker up at the front of the classroom, guiding the class step-by-step through the new water-colour techniques they were trying out.

"Yep. He's the embodiment of an integral part of the cosmos." Keemia nodded, carefully wetting her brush before she dabbed it on the paint block. "He's also better at sculpting."

"Have you heard his poetry? He's supposedly submitted some works to an international journal." Cupcake said eagerly, looking up from her own canvas.

"That sounds awesome. Might have to subscribe for a few issues to make sure I get it." Keemia grinned as Conner just looked at her oddly.

"How are you so okay with this? He's practically a god, and you're just acting like its normal for him to teach you how to paint?" the clone asked, before attempting the same techniques for himself.

"It was stranger back when I first met him. But to be honest, it's not really affected much. Sure having someone that strong in your school can be… humbling at times, but he's a normal guy. He's got thoughts and opinions just like everybody. And he's also got responsibilities of his own. Granted, he spends most of his time avoiding them, but still." She answered before getting a text on her phone. She looked at it before her eyes widened. "Crap I gotta run."

"What's the matter?" Conner asked, looking at her curiously.

"Kal just texted me, he needs some help with an… assignment." She said, trying to keep their cover.

"Would you like a hand?" Conner offered.

"I would, but Kal wants as few as possible. Something about keeping the circle small to avoid detection." She said, packing her things.

"What about Mr. Walker, won't he notice if you leave?" Conner frowned.

"We can cover for her. Besides, he knows the truth anyway, and he doesn't care. He rather applauds her for it." Loma shrugged. "In any case, I hope you're done before your date tonight."

"You have a date?" Conner asked curiously as Keemia suddenly blushed a dark crimson.

"Yeah, Keems' been wanting to ask this girl out for a while, and she finally got the chance. Better not mess this up." River teased.

"Girl? You asked out a girl? You're a girl…. You can do that?" Conner said, trying to process this new information.

"Yep. And I can tell that those little gnomes didn't give you absolutely everything about the real world, just the abridged version. We're gonna have to get you up to speed," Keemia said hurriedly before hefting her bag on her shoulder. "Now don't tell anyone on the team, okay? This isn't coming out until I'm ready." She said before turning to leave. As she did though, she looked at his canvas before smirking. "That's a nice painting of Megan, by the way." She said before leaving.

Conner blinked before looking away in a huff. After Keemia was gone though, he looked back at the canvas before giving the smallest of smiles. True to her word, the painting did resemble Megan quite a bit.

* * *

Back with the negotiations, the two parties had been moved to a large table where the South Rhelasians sat on one side, and the North Rhelasians on the other. Luthor sat in the middle of the table, dividing the two factions, with Tseng on his right, and Li on his left. Right behind Luthor, Mercy and Red Arrow stood ready as guards, carefully watching over the presiding in case any more assassination attempts were made.

"The unification is unthinkable," Tseng said adamantly. "Our peoples no longer have anything in common."

Luthor simply chuckled good-naturedly as he folded his hands together. "Gentlemen, this is mere rhetoric. Despite your differences, you still share an appreciation for many things." Luthor said, looking from Tseng to Li as he spoke. "Such as the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony."

Both leaders looked a little more relaxed by this statement, as a young woman dressed in traditional Rhelasian ceremonial garb approached, pushing a tea cart with her towards the crowd. However, two figures in front of her turned quickly to stop her.

"Ooh, we got ourselves a little sneak," Keemia smirked before dropping her glamour to reveal herself in uniform as Djinn.

"That is far enough, Cheshire," Kaldur said defiantly, holding one of his water bearers out as a warning to her. At the mention of the assassin, the crowd immediately turned in interest, as Roy drew one of his arrows from behind Luthor, aiming it at the Shadows' assassin.

Cheshire scowled a little at being discovered so early, before smirking as she pressed a button on the cart, launching it at Kaldur. The Atlantean was prepared, however, as he pulled the water from all of the glasses on the dignitaries' table and using his water bearers, made a large wall in front of him. Before the wall closed, Roy fired an arrow at the cart, which exploded and detonated the bomb on the cart prematurely, before it could harm anyone.

The force of the blast blew out all the windows on either side and slowly started forcing Kaldur back as his jacket was torn away. Keemia was quick to respond as magic circles surrounded her hands and she rushed forward. " **Ecrofnier eht reirrab!** " she said as a wall of arcane energy helped to support the water against the explosive force as two giant bronze statues collapsed from the strain.

Once the explosion had ended, Kaldur dropped the water, panting heavily from the exertion. He then leapt over the downed statues alongside Djinn and Red Arrow, where they found Cheshire. The assassin had been thrown away by the initial blast, but she was on her feet again quickly.

"It's over Cheshire," Roy warned, aiming his bow at her.

"You would think so," she smirked before a helicopter rose from outside the broken window behind her. Sportsmaster and several more Shadows assassins leapt out as Tseng commanded his guards to attack them. With a small army behind them, Cheshire drew her sais before getting in a ready stance.

"Take Sportsmaster!" Roy ordered Kaldur and Keemia. "Cheshire's mine."

"So territorial and only our third date." The assassin mused as Keemia shrugged.

"You know, I'm all for you branching out and seeing other people, but could you have picked someone other than the assassin?" She asked, exasperatedly.

"What? Aren't I pretty enough for him?" Cheshire asked coyly.

"What, no! I mean, yes you're gorgeous but… oh damn it!" Keemia stammered, before covering her rapidly blushing face with her hands. "J-just shoot her already." She asked before Roy complied, letting his arrow loose.

Cheshire easily deflected it. However, it was only a distraction for Keemia and Kaldur to leap over her as they pursued Sportsmaster. The older assassin was fighting the security detail for the peace signing and was easily trouncing the baton-wielding guards without even drawing his own weapons. After kicking one aside, he was soon met with a mace of water from Kaldur's water bearers striking him in the chin before Keemia was right underneath him with her hands glowing. " **Ygrene tsrub!** " she said before a beam of light forced Sportsmaster back further.

He drew one of his javelins, just as Kaldur rushed him, swinging his maces with deadly precision and forcing the assassin to go on the defensive as he deflected the Atlantean's strikes, before attempting to jab him with the javelin. Kaldur dodged, before Keemia came at him again, swinging her staff to deflect the next blow away harmlessly.

Red Arrow notched two more arrows in his bow before firing them at Cheshire. Much like before, however, the assassin was easily able to deflect them. "You called two of your little sidekick friends. But didn't you tell me they weren't in your League?"

"That's a little uncalled for" Keemia huffed, clearly offended before Sportsmaster kicked her in the gut, sending her flying across the room. Once she was gone he rushed forward, clotheslining Kaldur and sending the Atlantean to the floor before he drew his next weapon; a large mace on the end of a chain. He whipped it around his body to gain momentum before swinging down at Kaldur. The Atlantean rolled out of the way just in the nick of time to dodge as the weapon instead cracked the floor behind him.

Luthor watched the fight from afar, distinctly unimpressed, while Tseng and Li were flanked by two of their own bodyguards. Mercy had taken point right next to Luthor, ready should anyone attempt to move closer.

Keemia groaned, clutching her chest before she stood up slowly, seeing Cheshire still engaged with Roy. She growled before rushing forwards, her hands covered in magical flames before the sucker-punched the assassin in the kidney from behind.

Cheshire clutched her side before looking to Keemia with a smirk. "Oh, don't tell me? You're jealous that he's spending so much time with another woman."

"Puh-lease, he's more like a brother to me." She scoffed.

"Really? But he's so cute," Cheshire taunted, rushing Keemia with her sais before the sorceress summoned her staff to block the strikes.

"Trust me, I don't see it." Keemia dead-panned before throwing a fireball at Cheshire, who narrowly dodged it.

"Am I right that there is some tension there?" Cheshire asked, noticing Roy who had since gone on the defensive against another Shadows assassin who attacked him. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Trust me, I have too." Keemia nodded, blocking another strike before the two girls stared each other down from their deadlock. "He asked me out once, and I said no. I just wasn't interested. I really hope he finds someone though."

"Really? Why weren't you interested?" Cheshire asked, slowly inching the tips of her sais closer to Keemia's throat.

"Because I'd rather date someone of your persuasion."

"Oh, assassin?"

"No, female." She shrugged, surprising Cheshire and leaving the assassin dumbfounded. Seeing her opportunity, Keemia grinned before her hands suddenly glowed a violent, crackling blue. " **Hctirdle tsalb!** " she yelled as the massive blue beam struck Cheshire dead on, sending her flying back into the assassin that Roy was fighting.

* * *

With classes finished, Conner had since moved out to the track field, where he was currently reclined in the wooden bleachers. He stared out across the field blankly, watching the buses load with students before leaving. He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice the figure walking over until they stood next to him.

"Something on your mind?" Loma asked curiously, as Conner turned to look at her.

"Uh… I guess?" he said, unsure of that himself. The girl sat next to him, careful that she wasn't sitting on her coat, before looking at him expectantly.

"Well? Fire away. Maybe I can help." She offered.

"Well, you said that Keemia had a date right? That's something you do with someone when you like them?" He asked.

"I am fairly familiar with the concept, so yes. That is in fact what you do." Loma nodded.

"Well… how do you know if you like someone?" he continued, as Loma cocked her head curiously.

"That's a little harder to say. It's different for everyone really." She mused, her chin cupped in thought. "I guess the main thing is that, no matter what, you still like them. Even if they annoy you or even if you're angry. If they're on your mind, both through your worst moments and their own worst moments, I think that's when you know you like them."

Conner nodded in understanding. "So, should I ask them out?"

"Well if you're unsure maybe you should take some more time to figure that out. You'll never know if it's for real without checking first." She reasoned. "One thing I can say is that if it gets to be life-threatening, then you'll know. Your true feelings really come out if their lives are on the line."

"Uh… I don't think it'll get that bad." Conner chuckled before standing up to leave. "Thanks for the advice by the way."

"No problem. I like helping people. If they feel groovy, then so does the world." She smiled before standing. "Out of curiosity though, who is this girl that you like so much?"

"Oh uh, her name's…. her name is Megan. And she goes to another school." He said carefully.

"Ah, I see. I was a Megan once. That was fun." She said, giving a knowing nod as she remembered the painting he worked on in art class. "Well, I wish you luck with that." She grinned before seeming to literally shimmer out of his sight as she vanished in a brief burst of colour. Conner looked around in surprise for a moment, before opting to leave. He grabbed his backpack before walking down the bleachers and heading towards home.

* * *

Since the blast had left Cheshire so close to Roy, she decided to attack the archer yet again as the two exchanged kicks and punches with each other. She swung at him with both legs before attempting to stab him. However, he was ready and blocked with his bow before swinging it at her like a club. She swiftly jumped away to dodge his attack before throwing a flurry of shuriken at him, which he nimbly deflected much like she had his arrows.

Sportsmaster meanwhile, had drawn a fencing foil and was currently engaged in a sword-fight with Kaldur while Keemia took care of the numerous other assassins who tried running for the dignitaries. Kaldur deflected several strikes before Sportsmaster chuckled.

"Not bad, lad. Better than your team did at Santa Prisca or Bialya." He taunted.

Kaldur's eyes widened in shock hearing that. "How did you…"

"Let's just say I have an inside source. Very inside." He taunted again as Kaldur stared him down with a glare. Roy climbed on a statue behind the two, intent on shooting the assassin while he was distracted since Cheshire had once again moved to engage Keemia. However, he soon got a better idea as he looked up to see the numerous sprinklers all along the ceiling.

"Aqualad, let's end this!" he declared, before firing an explosive arrow at the sprinkler, detonating it. The smoke, however, activated the dozens of other sprinklers all along the ceiling as water poured down on the fighters below.

Kaldur nodded before summoning his power to take all of the water and formed a massive serpent from it. He then sent it after all the assassins, knocking them aside and astray before it stood poised to strike at Sportsmaster, who watched it impassively.

"Oh, now we're talking!" Keemia grinned, watching the serpent before Cheshire suddenly leapt away from her and landed in front of Sportsmaster. As she fell, she drew her mask and placed it on before drawing a smoke-pellet and launching it at the ground under the serpent's chin.

It detonated immediately, with the explosion weakening the water's integrity as it could no longer hold its form, while the smoke produced covered their escape. Roy and Keemia regrouped with Kaldur before coughing at the sudden smoke.

One assassin, however, managed to escape the confusion and leapt from the smoke at Tseng and Li with two swords drawn and intent to kill.

Luthor turned to his bodyguard before nodding. "Mercy." He said, in a tone she knew all too well.

At his command, she raised her right arm, which promptly transformed into some sort of railgun before firing a bolt of energy at the assassin. It struck him dead on, sending him crashing to the ground where he convulsed from the electric energy in the bolt.

Djinn, Red Arrow, and Aqualad all searched around them as the smoke cleared, but found that there were no attackers left and that the Shadows' elite assassins had made their escape. Tseng and Li meanwhile, looked at Luthor in surprise as Mercy's arm returned to its standard form.

"Gives new meaning to the arms race, doesn't she?" the billionaire chuckled before planting a gentle kiss on Mercy's cheek. Of all the people in the world, the only one that Lex Luthor cared for was Mercy Graves. In spite of the billionaire being notably vain and narcissistic, he still had a genuine affection for her. She was his most trusted confidant, running LexCorp during his leaves of absence, and she was rather adamant in her role as bodyguard. It was this loyalty that made her willing to undergo the cybernetic enhancements in the first place.

The two dignitaries sighed in relief before stepping forward and shaking Luthor's hand. "That technology is most impressive Mr. Luthor." Li complimented.

"We owe you our lives, sir," Tseng added as the three young heroes looked on in disbelief.

"They owe _him_ their lives?" Roy asked snidely, jerking a thumb to them.

"Of course they do." Keemia sighed, shaking her head. "Stupid cueball."

* * *

"Yes, quite a coup for Lex Luthor." Cat Grant said with a broad smile, as Luthor sat at a table with Tseng and Li on either side of him, just in front of the grand marble staircase in the lobby of the building. Both men were signing documents, while Luthor looked satisfied with the turn of events. "Under his leadership, North and South Rhelasia are signing a treaty, which could eventually lead to reunification."

Kaldur, Roy, and Keemia gave one last look to the billionaire before quietly slipping out the front doors of the building, having seen enough. "I can't believe we just did a solid for Lex Luthor," Roy grumbled.

"Believe it. It could have been a lot worse." Keemia grimaced. "He could have gloated about it."

"And it was not for Luthor, it was for peace." Kaldur corrected. "Beyond that, if Ra's and the League of Shadows wanted to sabotage the summit, the signing of the treaty renders their contract moot. It is over."

"Is it?" Roy asked before cocking his head to Keemia. "We heard what Sportsmaster said. Do you really think there's a mole on the team feeding him Intel?"

"I dunno Roy. It sounds sketchy to me. Besides, they might just be trying to sow disarray. It's entirely too convenient that it comes now of all times." Keemia countered before looking to Kaldur. "Right Kal?"

"I cannot rule out the possibility." He sighed before looking back at the two of them. "I will investigate, quietly."

"Not tell them?" Roy frowned as Keemia looked appalled by the suggestion.

"I do not want the unit unravelling over baseless suspicions." He explained. "And if there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him or her off."

"Still though, that's a big risk Kal. What if it blows up in your face? It could fracture their trust with you as a leader. These are our friends, we're supposed to trust them," Keemia said worriedly. "And what about me? I know too, how am I supposed to operate?"

"As though you didn't know a thing. I will trust you to help me investigate, but I also trust that you can keep yourself safe if the worst happens." Kaldur said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be able to handle this."

"Good luck with that." Roy chuckled before giving a mock salute and turning to leave.

"One moment my friend," Kaldur said, stopping him. "Tonight you could have called Green Arrow for help. Or the Justice League. Instead, your first instinct was to call the cave."

"You're right." He nodded, turning back to them. "The team deserves… has my respect." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm still getting used to this solo act stuff. But if you need me, I'll be there." He smiled before shaking Kaldur's hand.

After that, Keemia suddenly leaned forward and hugged him tightly, looking him in the eyes. "Thank you, for trusting us I mean."

"Is it true…? That you like girls, I mean." Roy asked carefully, not wanting to upset her. Keemia frowned, trying to compose herself correctly before she nodded.

"Yeah, it is." She confirmed. "I'm really sorry Roy, but it just wouldn't work between us. You're too high-maintenance for me." She joked as Roy gave a small laugh.

"And you're too sarcastic for even me to handle." He fired back as Keemia giggled lightly.

"That's the spirit." She smiled before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Take care Roy. Hopefully, we can talk about this again under more… casual circumstances. We'll definitely need to clarify some things moving forward." She smiled before releasing him from the hug as he nodded with a smile and walked off.

* * *

 **Lafayette, Louisiana – September 7** **th** **, 21:26 CDT**

"Thanks again for dinner. It was really nice of you, and I enjoyed it a lot." Ashley said shyly as Keemia walked her back up to her front door.

"Hey, I thought I would try to make our first date as special as possible, while also being relatively easy to get eased into." She shrugged. "It's new for both of us after all."

"I know, but I still appreciate it." Ace smiled, pausing in front of the door as she wrapped her arms around the back of Keemia's neck. "Well definitely have to do this again sometime though."

"For sure. Maybe next time we can see a movie?" Keemia offered, her arms wrapping around Ashley's waist.

"I'd like that." She nodded, before smiling. "Although there's nothing wrong with relaxing in a coffee shop."

"Heh, now you're speaking my language." She grinned before the two leaned in to kiss each other. Neither one noticed the door behind them opening, however.

"A-hem!" Amanda Waller said sternly as the two girls suddenly broke apart. "Hands where I can see them." She ordered.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Keemia said as her face flushed red in embarrassment and she raised her hands up in surrender.

"Hmph. I suppose you're the girl that Ashley here is so smitten with?" Waller questioned as Keemia seemed to shrink under her gaze.

"Y-yeah, I'm Keemia. Keemia M-Marko. We met briefly at Mount Justice." She nodded, carefully extending her hand, but Waller ignored it. This whole time, Ashley was watching in a mixture of horror and embarrassment.

"Yes, I know of you Miss Marko. And your father." Waller nodded. "Just know that I expect you to follow every rule to the letter. You followed her curfew tonight, and that's good. But I expect that your behaviour around Ashley will be nothing but exemplary at all times. Is that clear?"

"C-crystal…" Keemia nodded nervously.

"Good. Because if you don't follow these carefully defined rules, or worse, if you decide to break Ashley's heart, I will know." She said threateningly before a red sniper dot appeared on Keemia's right temple. "And I will take every motion necessary to ensure such an action is never repeated, by you or anyone else."

Keemia was now, quite literally shaking in fear as Ashley saw the dot before gasping. "Floyd!" she yelled indignantly at a nearby tree, which seemed to be the source of the sniper dot.

"Sorry Ashley, you know how the boss gets." Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, announced from his perch. "She asked me to do this, and she's really convincing as you know."

"Besides, we're really fond of ya, and we just want'cha to be safe!" a second voice called from a bush under the tree.

"Harleen?!" Ashley cried out as Keemia looked to her in surprise.

"Does the squad just live in your house or something?" she asked as Waller chuckled briefly.

"No such luck. They actually live in the trustee house next door. Sort of a mediator towards rehabilitation. But the threat still stands…" she said before snapping her fingers as the dot disappeared. "Remember, best behaviour only. Ashley only deserves the very best."

"Well, we can certainly agree on that one." Keemia nodded hastily before looking at Ashley. "I'll see you at the cave, I guess?"

"Yeah, you will." She nodded. "Call me sometime?"

"Absolutely," Keemia nodded before activating a magic charm in her pocket to teleport her back home. Once she was gone, Ashley immediately turned on Amanda with a scowl.

"I can't believe you embarrassed me like that!"

"What? Can't I have a little bit of fun?" Waller asked. "I was just teasing, it's not like I was actually gonna hurt her."

"She's right, the cartridge is empty," Floyd called from the tree before he climbed out and walked into the trustee house next door.

"Despite what most people think, I'm not actually a sociopath." She shrugged. "I only want what's best for you. Besides, you have to admit, her face was priceless."

Ashley stared at her for a moment before relenting with a sigh. "Yeah… yeah, it was pretty priceless." she nodded before entering the house with Waller.

"Priceless, and I got it all on tape!" Harley grinned, emerging from the bushes before returning to the trustee house to show the rest of the squad.

* * *

 **Miami, Florida – September 7** **th** **, 22:32 EDT**

Seconds after activating the charm in her pocket, Keemia reappeared back home in her bedroom. Zatanna was vehement in regards to her stance to long-distance teleportation. It wasn't that Keemia couldn't perform such feats, it was just that it put far too much strain on her body. Just going one state away could force her into exhaustion, to say nothing of Keemia's attempts to push further.

As such, the unique charms were a solution to this problem. Each one held the magical essence of a few locations Keemia frequented; her house, Mount Justice, and the House of Mystery. They were still new, and Constantine was always tinkering with the enchantments to "improve them," much to Zatanna's chagrin, but they got the job done.

"Well, at least I can say they work." Keemia mused, looking at the charms on the bracelet she had placed them on before she left her room for the kitchen. As she walked past Conner's room, she would notice the open door and see the clone tinkering with something on his desk. "Trying to build your own toaster?" she asked with a smirk.

Conner fixed her with a mock glare before shrugging. "It's a compact radio. I'm trying to see if I can make it work on my bike. Just need to make the wires work between the two." He reasoned.

"Sounds pretty advanced. You're really getting into this car stuff."

"Everyone needs a hobby." He reasoned before turning to her. "How did the date go?"

"It was perfect," she said contentedly, hugging herself as she spoke. In her mind she could still imagine that Ashley was there with her.

"I'm glad to hear it," he nodded, but he looked a little unsure of himself. "Um…"

"You want to know how to ask Megan out on a date?" She asked bluntly. Conner looked at her, blushing faintly before he shook his head.

"I was actually just going to ask if it's a good idea."

Keemia frowned a little at that, cupping her chin in thought. "I don't see why it wouldn't be. But I suppose you're just not ready?" she asked. He nodded in affirmation before she continued. "In that case take your time. Just be careful; she might lose interest by the time you come around. It could be too late one day, and she'll end up dating Barry. That poor girl," she said with a mock shudder before she left. Her laughter echoed down the hall to the kitchen as Conner looked in the doorway after her.

He stared into the empty hallway before returning his attention to the desk. He no longer had any interest in the radio, setting the tools down before he stared off out the window and at the moon. As he did, his thoughts wandered back to the green-hued girl as a smile slowly came to his face.

* * *

"That went well," Lex grinned, pouring brandy into two glasses at the bar counter of his hotel suite. "Both Tseng and Li were quite impressed with Mercy's… equipment, and are quite literally buying into the peace."

He shrugged a little at that, before talking both glasses and walking towards a figure on the other side of the room, offering one of the drinks to them. "Our plan to ensure the eventual reunification of Rhelasia, under LexCorp's political and economic guidance, is a success."

Ra's al Ghul reached out before taking the offered glass from Luthor and giving his own triumphant smirk. "And thus, another corner of the world… sees the Light." He said before the two clinked their glasses together in a toast.

* * *

 **And done!**

 **We get some romantic tension building as well as some backstory building too. Always nice to have a double-dose of character development. And it helps flesh out the dynamic of Roy, Kaldur and Keemia. While Roy is friends with most of the rest of the team, Keemia and Kaldur are his two closest friends. They would go to hell and back with him, and he knows it. He'd better not screw it up.**

 **Also, it's the return of Lex Luthor. About time he showed up, eh? I loved writing every single aspect of his dialogue in this chapter, and what do you know? He loves Mercy graves. It seems appropriate for him honestly, and I always shipped him and Mercy. It was just a match made in Heaven.**

 **Cheshire was also a lot of fun to write. I can't for her to return.**

 **Conner has been officially adopted by the Markos. This was always the plan with him from the beginning and it helps develop the relationship between him and Keemia. It'll also help with the eventual end of his mini-arc with Superman.**

 **Oh, also something about a traitor? But that's probably nothing.**

 **Next time though, things get dangerous. Very, VERY, dangerous. Conner and Megan will have to go into the lion's den to complete a mission. Who will go with them? What will they learn? Who can be redeemed? And will any of them live to overcome these... "Terrors"?**

 **Find out next time!**

 **As always, be sure to read and review!**

 **See you guys in 2019**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	11. Terrors

**Greetings everyone, and a very Happy New Year to everybody!**

 **School has started anew for me, but I squeezed out another chapter for you folks, one I've been excited to do for a while. It's time for "Terrors".**

 **This was one of my favourite episodes in the original show, and I was just so ready for this adaptation. All the character, all the quotable moments, all the exposition! It's absolutely perfect!**

 **In other news, Young Justice season 3 has just released. Due to it being so new I will ask that you refrain from spoiling anything in the reviews for the readers who haven't watched it yet. I already got the show spoiled for me before I could see it, and I don't want you guys to suffer the same fate.**

 **Also, we got the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. It looks fantastic, and I can already tell I'm gonna love Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio. it just looks so perfect in motion!**

 **As always, we have some reviews to look at before we start this chapter:**

 **CRUDEN: I guess he is at times. I like to think of him as an unsteady Terrier. Clumsy and new, with a lot of bite.**

 **Spartan of Chaos: It'll happen... eventually.**

 **rmarcano321: Waller does have a sense of humour. A sick one, but a sense nonetheless. I miss Cat too, she was fun. Lex and mercy is definitely one of my favourite ships. It just makes so much sense for both of their characters at this point. The relationship between Keemia and Ashley I would describe as unsure, but earnest, and very eager. it's new for both of them, and they're ready to give it a shot. What role will the Suicide Squad have? minimal. Expect them as occasional background characters or cameos. That's about it though. I'm always down for recommendations to other FanFics.**

 **Guest from Dec 10, 2018: Indeed. A Happy Birthday to the late and great Stan the Man.**

 **Zeo: Eh, I can't guarantee any crossovers like that, even in Tales from Earth 45, but it** _might_ **happen. Emphasis on** _MIGHT_. **I wouldn't worry about Keemia and Ace regarding the mole. It'll turn out fine.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: As always, it is fantastic to hear from you my friend. Yeah, Roy and Keemia definitely got some good banter here. Their past is something I want to layer in piece by piece, and there is certainly more to it than has been seen so far. And yeah, they're Kojima fans. I can guarantee that at some point they pulled an all-nighter to play Metal Gear Solid 3 at least. Being able to write Lex again was a real treat. I missed him from Sandman Unlimited, and I'm glad to have him back. Everything with Conner was always a part of the plan, including the adoption. It felt like a real accomplishment to get there. And of course, Waller and the Squad scaring the shit out of Keemia was as hilarious to write as it was to read. Unorthodox maybe, but definitely hilarious. Niuhi will be back soon. As in, a few paragraphs after this! As for the speedforce, only Wally knows at the moment, and even then it's a very passing awareness of it. That's coming from "Divided we Fall". And yes, Lobo will be appearing come season 2. I can't forget about the greatest bastitch in the galaxy.**

 **Guest from Jan 6, 2019 (Chapter 3): Ace definitely deserved the happy ending.**

 **Guest from Jan 6, 2019 (Chapter 9):Stan might get a cameo in the future. He's appeared in my stories in the past after all.**

 **7-Eleventh: Again, the Thor moment with Mjolnir will probably only be an omake. But it will happen. Coldsnap will be back soon. And by soon, I mean in this chapter.**

 **Malchior the Bad: There might be some redemption for them. But please, try to avoid the spoilers here my guy.**

 **Thanks again for all the reviews, I love receiving them. I know I say that a lot, but it really does make my day to see the review count go up whenever I post a new chapter.**

 **In any case. disclaimer!:**

 **I own nothing but the original idea, and Niuhi Lincoln. Keemia Marko and all related characters are owned by Marvel and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by Warner Bros. and DC. Please support the official releases.**

 **And away we go!**

* * *

 **New Orleans, Louisiana – September 14** **th** **, 16:53 CDT**

"This is Cat Grant reporting live from New Orleans' historic French Quarter, where the Martian Manhunter and Superman are in mid-battle against the so-called Terror Twins, who have been on a three-state rampage through the South." The bubbly blonde reporter said with a grin before her cameraman moved to get a closer look at the battle behind them.

After their coverage of the Rhelasian peace accords the week prior, the reporting duo were eager for the next big news story. Once the battle had been reported they raced off to get there first, eventually catching up by the time they reached New Orleans.

For now, Martian Manhunter and Superman easily deflected several cars that were tossed their way by the twins. Another couple of vehicles were thrown. Which J'onn avoided by phasing through him, while Superman simply knocked them away into the water. The twins leapt up to them soon after, with Tuppence attacking Superman while her brother Tommy went after Martian Manhunter.

Their inexperience soon proved to be their own undoing as the two seasoned heroes easily caught the twins with little struggle, before tossing them away. Tommy and Tuppence flew through the air like limp ragdolls before crashing back down to earth inside of a warehouse on the edge of the harbour. They fell through the roof, slamming into the concrete floor before skidding to a stop in front of some Mardi Gras parade floats.

The two stood back up slowly, carefully taking stock of their surroundings before a figure suddenly leapt out from the shadows. They had little time to react before the figure fired ice from their hands, sealing the two siblings up to their shoulders in blocks of ice.

"The hell is this?" Tommy asked in surprise.

"It's called ice, dumbass," Coldsnap answered as she walked up to the two with a cocky smirk. "But it's also called an ambush." Coldsnap stood before the twins in her new field attire. On the top half of her body was a dark grey armour, similar to what her father wore when he broke into Arkham Asylum so many years ago. The back on the armour was cut away starting between her shoulders, exposing her back to just above her hips, displaying a large Polynesian tattoo of a Hammerhead shark. She wore black fingerless gloves while her arms and shoulders remained bare, and had heavy grey cargo pants with black combat boots. The entire outfit looked combat ready, and fit her slender 6'4" frame perfectly.

Tommy growled in frustration, struggling in the ice as his strength started to break it. However, before he could get too far, Red Tornado and Aqualad appeared before placing collars around the necks of Tommy and his sister. The collars were then activated as both twins suddenly felt themselves grow extremely weak.

"Hey… that don't feel right…" Tommy groaned before realizing what this meant. "My strength… but I done just gone toe to toe with Superman." He said in alarm.

"Congratulations. It's more quality time than he's ever given me." Superboy said, stepping into view in a perfect recreation of Tommy's appearance. Miss Martian looked at him, a little unsure while Coldsnap simply rolled her eyes at his statement. After a moment, M'Gann nodded, her face now determined as she stepped towards Tuppence, carefully examining the blonde.

Superboy smirked, before placing his hands on his hips. "Got yer inspiration, sister Tuppence?" Superboy asked, copying Tommy's Southern drawl with ease.

M'Gann transformed herself into a perfect duplicate of Tuppence before she turned to look at Superboy with her own smirk. "I believe I do, Brother Tommy."

"Somebody tell me what's goin' on?" the real Tommy asked, clearly alarmed by the turn of events as Coldsnap and M'Gann walked back towards Superboy. As they did, it was Batman's turn to step out of the shadows.

"It's simple." He said plainly, before pulling out three collars and placing one on each of the three teen heroes.

"They're under arrest."

* * *

 **Belle Reve Parish – September 16** **th** **, 21:55 CDT**

M'Gann flexed her fists while looking at the cuffs she was currently being held in. They stretched up her forearm and were reinforced with several layers of titanium, designed to keep individuals with superhuman strength. At the moment, she could care less about their effectiveness. She was currently sitting in the back of a heavily-armoured prison van next to Superboy, the two of them in their Terror Twins disguises. Coldsnap sat across from them in similar restraints and wearing standard orange prison garb, while her head was merely leaned against the wall in disinterest.

The sound of the helicopters surrounding the convoy outside was muted by the thick steel, but the steady humming of their rotors was still easy to detect. Off to the front of the truck was a large African-American prison guard named Wilcox. He clutched his rifle with a determined glare, ready for any possible riot that the prisoners might cause. M'Gann gave him a blank stare before turning to look at the back of the truck.

Part of the vehicle had been altered to exhale large amounts of coolant gas, all for the safe transport of Victor Fries. The former German scientist had his usual sneer in full force, wearing an updated version of his usual cryosuit in order to ensure his survival. After giving him a sparing glance, M'Gann looked back in front of her before blinking in surprise.

Icicle Jr. was the other passenger with them. He sat next to Coldsnap, and while he ignored the taller girl, he was giving what he presumed to be charming winks to M'Gann. He clearly bought the disguise hook, line, and sinker.

M'Gann gave a disgusted grunt as the con made another suggestive face before looking down at her hands, remembering the events leading up to this mission clearly.

 _-Flashback-_

"This past Fourth of July, five ice-villains staged simultaneous attacks." Batman began before showing six mugshots on the holoscreen. "Mr. Freeze, Icicle Jr., Chillblaine, Captain Cold, and Killer Frost, along with her husband King Shark, were all easily apprehended." He explained before pausing as his eyes narrowed. "Perhaps too easily."

M'Gann looked to the screen in suspicion. Superboy stood just beside her, while Djinn, Red Tornado, Red Hood, Martian Manhunter, and Aqualad stood behind her. Since Aqualad and Djinn were the team's current leaders, with Hood achieving a lieutenant rank below them, they were to be present for this briefing.

"Can't help but think ol' Chillblaine looks out of place among those heavy-hitters," Keemia muttered while Jason stifled a laugh and Aqualad shook his head slowly, trying not to crack a smile.

"Cold, Chillblaine, Frost, and Shark were all immediately sent to Belle Reve Penitentiary, a federal prison designed to house super-criminals." Batman continued before showing a picture of the eponymous prison. "The seventeen-year-old Icicle Jr. was sent to a juvenile facility. Mr. Freeze, to his usual cell at Arkham Asylum. But Freeze petitioned the court to be declared legally sane, and Jr. sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both await transport to Belle Reve which seems to have been the goal all along." He said before walking towards Conner and M'Gann. "I'm sending the three of you in to find out why."

"The three of us?" M'Gann asked before Batman nodded. Almost immediately, Coldsnap stepped out from behind the two before standing on the other side of Conner.

"Yes. After an extensive review of her abilities, as well as careful training from Black Canary and Ice, both Dubbilex and I have seen fit to allow Niuhi into the field. Since she has no record of her existence outside, and therefore a clean slate, there will be no suspicion around her. You and Superboy, however, will be going in disguises."

"Who inside the prison will know their true identities?" Aqualad asked.

"No one," Batman said firmly. "We can't be certain the prison staff isn't compromised."

"Even Waller?" Keemia asked with a frown.

"While Waller is slowly working her way to an uneasy ally for us, she is still the paragon of suspicion. We can't be certain that she is above such things." Batman explained. "It will be her response to you three that will either make or break your cover. We cannot risk such a thing."

The three took a moment to drink in all the information, none of them really prepared to begin. After a moment, they moved to leave before Batman stopped them. "One more thing." He said, calling their attention as his face became even more serious as his glare narrowed. "There will be individuals within this prison that you recognize, some of which you will have history with. Under no circumstances are you to allow your own emotions to cloud your judgement while within those walls. Your life could be endangered just as much as the mission could be."

While he didn't direct this message to anyone, in particular, Niuhi could clearly tell the underlying threat made to her. In the short time that Batman had known her, he saw a catastrophic level of hatred, sorrow, abandonment, resentment, and anger in the girl whenever she thought of her parents. As far as she was concerned, they abandoned her to a laboratory. And as far as anyone knew, that's exactly what had happened to her.

 _-Flashback End-_

"Dude… dude!" Icicle Jr.'s whispering broke M'Gann's train of thought as she saw the ten delinquent leaning over to whisper to her "Brother." However, given his volume, it was difficult for her to tell whether or not he wanted her to hear, or was just stupid.

"Your sister is sweet!" Jr. grinned before gazing longingly at M'Gann who simply huffed and rolled her eyes. "How about you put in a good word for me?" he asked before suddenly being struck across the face by the butt of Wilcox's gun.

"Sit down," the guard ordered with a heavy Southern drawl.

"Heh, first day of prison, cock-blocked by the guard. You're new to this aren't you?" Niuhi said snidely, flexing her fingers impatiently, while Icicle quietly growled at her.

"What would you know about prison life?" he demanded.

"More than you apparently," she laughed.

"Alright, enough of your teenage rebellion," Wilcox ordered before standing up straight. "We're here." He grinned before the helicopter convoy broke away, and the truck continued ahead into the prison.

"Welcome to Belle Reve."

* * *

The stories that the prisoners had heard about Belle Reve clearly didn't do any justice to the facility. The walls were incredibly tall and heavy set, with railguns mounted every ten feet, and along the support columns. There were dozens of cameras that they could see, and undoubtedly dozens that they couldn't see, with numerous guards stationed just to watch their truck alone. As the five were carefully herded off of the truck, they were marched along the floor of the prison before stopping beneath a balcony. That's when they heard her speak for the first time.

"I am the law of last resort. My name is Amanda Waller," the large woman greeted as she looked at the assembled group with a contemptuous glare. "I am not your mother, your maiden aunt, or your friend. I am your warden. And you are my prisoners. The proprietary collars you wear are custom designed to inhibit your specific meta-abilities. No strength, no ice." She said before holding up a remote in her hand. "In addition, the collars can and will be used to discipline inmates. A con who breaks the rules gets one warning."

And with that, she pressed the button on the remote. Any prior conceptions to Waller or the prison itself were immediately wiped away as all five of them suffered through an intensely painful electrical shock. After a few seconds, Waller relented and released the button.

"If order has not been restored, the next shock will render the offender unconscious. At the slightest hint of trouble, this facility goes into lockdown." She continued before motioning towards the large concrete and steel walls. "Belle Reve's walls are thick enough to hold Superman. We know, we checked. No one's ever escaped Belle Reve, no one ever will."

Before she could continue, she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat from behind her. She inwardly rolled her eyes before nodding. "Oh, this is Professor Hugo Strange. He is your maiden aunt." She introduced as the tall man stepped forward.

He was bald, with a thick grey chinstrap beard, and dressed in a grey suit with a black turtleneck. Despite his position in the prison, his eyes were still warm and jovial. "Actually I'm the prison psychiatrist, and I promise you a sincere attempt at rehabilitation." He greeted with a smile.

Waller gave a small smirk at this before turning to the prisoners. "Because we know you types are all about sincerity."

* * *

In the men's wing of the prison, the current residents were all yelling and calling out towards Icicle Jr. and "Tommy," trying to goad a reaction out of the new meat. Superboy was unfazed as he followed the guards along the trip to their cell.

' _Conner, can you hear me?'_ M'Gann asked telepathically, from where she and Niuhi were being led by the female guards in their wing.

Conner blinked once in surprise before responding. _'Yeah, but I thought the collars…'_

' _Custom designed to inhibit Tuppence Terror's super-strength, not my telepathy. But your strength is…'_

' _Not at Superman's level. I get it.'_ Conner answered hastily.

' _No, that's not what I was-'_

' _Whatever.'_ Conner sneered before the guards stopped and opened a cell door for the two of them.

"Home sweet home," one of the guards said before the other one shoved Superboy and Jr. inside, closing the door behind them. Superboy gave a brief glare to the guards before Jr. looked at him with a grin.

"I call top bunk!"

* * *

M'Gann was, meanwhile, shoved inside of her own cell but without Niuhi, as the guards closed the door behind her. She sat down on the bottom bunk slowly before someone could be heard stirring from the top bunk above her.

"Mmm, you're cutting into my beauty sleep little girl." Killer Frost said, her voice filled with venom. "And if I don't get my eight hours, I can be a real killer."

M'Gann frowned at the threat before the sound of someone grasping the bars of the door was clearly heard behind them.

"How you about you back off the fresh-meat mom? Your daughter might get jealous that she doesn't have your full attention." Niuhi sneered before being pulled away by the guards.

"Niuhi…. No, please god no!" Frost cried out in horror at the sight of her daughter, before leaping from the bunk and scrambling to the door. "You bring her back here now! Bring back my daughter, now!" she yelled before her collar gave her a warning shock forcing her away. She fell back, grasping the collar weakly before she fell to her knees, trying to hold back the tears. "No… why her… why this?" she begged in a hoarse whisper.

M'Gann stared at her in shock for a moment before slowly reaching out to her. "You okay?" she asked before Frost suddenly slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch me!" Frost yelled before returning to her bunk. M'Gann rubbed her hand gently before laying back on her bed and rolling to face the wall, trying as best she could to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, the prisoners were let out into what appeared to be a large indoor gymnasium for what was presumably their morning exercises. Or at the very least, some sort form of socializing. Frost entered the women's wing with M'Gann in tow, before looking ahead to see that Niuhi was already there. Without giving a second look to M'Gann, Frost hurried over to Niuhi before hugging her close, an action that stunned the girl.

"Niuhi… is that really you?" Frost asked quietly, desperate not to believe it.

"Yeah, it's me. I don't get why you're so choked up. I'm just following in your footsteps." Niuhi scoffed. "Look at you, you're so proud you're crying."

"No, I'm not proud at all. This isn't what I wanted for you!" Frost said adamantly. "This was what I wanted you to avoid. Your father and I wanted you to be able to avoid all this. To live outside of this!"

"Then why'd you leave me to them?" Niuhi asked with a scowl.

"We didn't leave you, they took you!" Frost said, surprising the girl further.

"What do you mean they took me...?" Niuhi asked carefully, her glare wavering ever so slightly. A hope long since forgotten was slowly starting to rise in her again, and she hated how vulnerable it made her feel in that moment. Frost sighed, before looking off to the side where Shimmer and Devastation were waiting for her.

"I can't explain right now… but please, just trust me." She pleaded, holding her daughter's shoulders as she looked into her eyes. "Come on. I have some stuff to take care of. Plans and all that, why don't you join me?"

Niuhi looked at her carefully, mulling it over. She had to admit, her curiosity was overwriting the anger she held for her parents. If what they said was true… maybe she did have a real family outside of her test tube. Besides, it might give her an insight as to what exactly the big plan was that required all the ice-villains being present. "Sure, why not? It's a little mother-daughter bonding time."

Frost smiled in relief before hugging her again. "Thank you for giving me this chance. We'll be out of here soon enough; you, me, and your father. And then we can be a family again. A real family." She said before leading Niuhi away to where Shimmer and Devastation were waiting.

While her teammate went off with Frost, M'Gann walked over to the large plate glass windows that divided the women from the men. While they couldn't get through, they could still hear each other from the other side. She scanned the crowd, looking for Superboy before he walked in with Icicle Jr.

"Stick with me cellmate, I'll show you the ropes," Jr. said with a confident smirk as he walked Superboy through the yard.

"Oh, who you kiddin'? You ain't been in Belle Reve before." Superboy countered. "You're liable to get me hanged with them ropes."

Jr. scowled a little before jabbing Superboy with an accusatory finger. "I may never have been incarcerated here Tommy, but trust me, I know whereof I speak." He said before pointing off to a set of bleachers. Mammoth, King Shark, and Blockbuster stood guard, while Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, and Chillblaine all sat huddled around another figure. This one had greying hair and a cocky smirk as he chewed on a toothpick, watching the yard with mild disinterest. "For starters, we pay homage to the top of the food chain, the big dog, the prison capo… my father."

"That's your… that's yer pa?" Superboy asked in genuine surprise, catching his accent before it could slip.

"Yup. Icicle Sr." Jr. nodded with a small smile before it soon gave way to a frown. "Reeks when your dad is _the man_ , you know?"

Superboy looked down, genuinely affected by the question. Despite his best efforts, he could relate to the younger con more than he'd like to admit. "Believe me… I know."

Over where Sr. was sitting with his collected allies, another con walked over to them. This one had long blond hair, tied back into a ponytail. His face was scruffy, with a thin beard and moustache, and his eyes were a cold grey, clearly showing his fatigue. Still, the man had a confident grin as he strode over to the prison capo.

"So Sr., have you deciphered what my plan is yet? After all, I left you some clear clues." The man said before shrugging. "Then again, maybe you just need the master to help you out."

"Stuff it, Brown. No one wants your ego here." Sr. said snidely.

"Of course not. But I know you've got a big plan worked out. Figured maybe you could use another strategist to look over it. You know, in case any holes need to be patched?" he offered again, before Shark stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Just because Nygma's been missing for months doesn't mean we need a half-rate Riddler," Shark said as Mammoth and Blockbuster walked forward to back him up. "Beat it!"

Brown looked at the three towering villains with a frown before scoffing and walking away. Brick watched the man with mild interest before chuckling. "Get a load of Cluemaster trying to run with the big boys. Tell me doofus, who's the biggest joke in Belle Reve? Here's a clue for you, it ain't the Joker."

The other mooks around Brick chuckled at his joke before returning to their own activities. Sr. watched Brown as he retreated before turning back to the glass. Frost had finally arrived, and right next to her was a girl he didn't recognize. He was about to ask when Shark suddenly rushed to the glass, placing his hands on it gently. The heartbreak on his face was jarring in comparison to his usual cruel visage, as Frost simply gave one nod, before wrapping her arm around Niuhi.

"That's your daughter then?" Sr. asked as Shark gave a weak "yes" to confirm his suspicions. Sr. seemed to ponder that for a moment before giving a short, yet curt, nod. "Well if she came from you and Frost, she's gotta be okay. She can sit in on this."

Shark gave a small sigh of relief before leaning down to look at Niuhi. "Look at you, my little makani, you're as strong as the Aumakua… and you have your mother's eyes…" he said, whispering softly as he looked to Niuhi with longing. Niuhi looked at him in surprise and longing before placing her hand on the glass over his.

"Thanks dad… that means a lot." She answered, her voice threatening to break as tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes. She wouldn't allow herself to break her composure, not while the mission was happening. But the emotion she felt now, knowing that her parents loved her… that they wanted her… it was almost too much.

While Shark and Frost had their small reunion, Jr. looked to his father steeling himself for the interaction that was about to occur once he walked over. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before casting Superboy a smirk that was mostly just bravado. "Here goes nothing." He said before stepping forward.

He didn't get very far though, before Professor Ojo suddenly tackled him from behind, forcing him to the floor. Jr. whirled around, only for Ojo to grab his collar and pull back a fist, ready to strike. "Hello Junior. I warned you what would happen next time we crossed paths."

Jr. chuckled nervously as he knew full well he deserved what was coming. "Ojo, buddy, pal, mi amigo!" he stammered nervously before Ojo threw his fist forward. Before it could connect, however, Superboy suddenly pulled Ojo off of his cellmate.

"Get off o' him!" Superboy scowled, punching the con in the face and sending him crashing to the ground right at Brick's feet.

Brick took one look at the downed Professor and stared hard at Superboy. "Boy, that was not wise." He threatened, before cracking his knuckles and moving towards Superboy, his cronies close behind him.

Superboy helped Jr. up before the teen delinquent was pulled away by some of the other inmates. Superboy looked at the ones surrounding him, led by Brick, as he readied himself for a fight. Up above on the balcony, Wilcox was watching with one of the other guards, a half-eaten bagel clutched in his hand. The other guard took out his remote before Wilcox stopped him. "Uh-uh, new fish needs to learn."

Ojo rubbed his chin painfully before getting up and walking towards Superboy, who was being held in a headlock by Brick. "Free shot, Ojo." Brick grinned, as the scientist relished the chance for a revenge shot. However, before he could throw the punch, he suddenly straightened out as he frowned.

"Wait… I know him…" he said, recognizing Superboy for who he really was through the disguise. "He's-"

Ojo didn't have a chance to finish before Superboy grabbed Brick and threw him over his shoulders using a technique Black Canary had taught him. Brick crashed into Ojo, sending both villains to the ground before he looked up at the newcomer with a murderous scowl. "Not wise. Not wise at all!"

"Don't you understand?" Ojo asked, pointing to Superboy. "He's-"

' _He's Tommy Terror!'_ M'Gann said telepathically, forcing her will into Ojo's mind to stop him blowing Superboy's cover.

"Ugh… he's Tommy Terror…" Ojo groaned, holding his head painfully.

"He's roadkill!" Brick said, rushing to his feet ready to pummel Superboy. Two of his cronies held Superboy still for their boss before Icicle Sr.'s voice stopped them all.

"Enough!" the capo said clearly, not leaving any room for question. "Kid's got guts. The kind of guts a father wouldn't mind seeing in his own son."

"Great to see you too dad," Jr. scowled as he was finally released from where he was being held.

Sr. looked at him impassively. "Get over here." He ordered as Jr. and Superboy walked over to the capo. "Not you Terror," he corrected as Brick held his arm out to stop Superboy. "Just Junior."

Once Jr. made it over, Sr. sat back down as Freeze, Chillblaine, Cold, Shark, Frost, Niuhi, Blockbuster, and Mammoth all gathered around him and his son. While he might not have been allowed to sit in on the meeting, Superboy still focused his hearing so he could hear what they were saying.

"Alright icicle, we're all here. Now what?" Freeze asked.

As he asked the question, Icicle looked to the assembled group with a confident grin. "Now we put the final pieces in place, to bust every single con out of Belle Reve."

* * *

Despite his best efforts to listen in on the conversation, there wasn't any revelation as to what the plan actually was. The villains must have made it beforehand and were simply confirming their coordination for it. Even Niuhi heard nothing of what the plan was supposed to be. The closest she got was her mother telling her to 'be patient and be ready.'

So, Superboy was left to ponder this in his cell, trying to eavesdrop around the prison for some sort of clue as to what the actual plan might be. He would soon be broken from his musings by Ivo, as the inventor was one of the few prisoners making deliveries of new uniforms with the clean laundry. Conner saw the two new uniforms fall into the cell he was sharing with Jr., looking at them curiously.

Jr. saw the delivery and grinned, swinging his legs over the top bunk as he leaned towards Conner with an excited expression. "Tommy boy, I'd advise putting the new rags on. Sooner than later." He advised as Conner gave a nod in response before complying.

' _The break is coming, sooner than later.'_ He warned his teammates.

' _Let me guess, you got the same advice with the laundry delivery?'_ Niuhi asked snidely.

' _Yeah, I think there's something different about these uniforms.'_ Conner confirmed.

' _Updating Aqualad now,'_ M'Gann said as she put her uniform on, making sure to keep a low profile with Frost behind her. She sent a telepathic signal outside the bounds of the prison, where it was picked up by Aqualad from inside the Bioship, which his under its cloaking device. He sat inside with Red Tornado, Djinn, and Red Hood, before moving to the controls as he received the information.

' _Time to pull you out,'_ Aqualad replied. _'Call in the League.'_

' _Icicle would only postpone. We need to learn how they're busting out, or they'll just try again._ ' M'Gann countered.

' _She's got a point Kal, we don't want to blow the operation like this.'_ Djinn nodded, agreeing with M'Gann's assessment.

' _It's not ideal, but it's smarter than just rushing in now.'_ Jason nodded.

After a moment, Aqualad sighed. ' _Agreed.'_ He answered before turning to Red Tornado, who couldn't join the telepathic link with the others. "We remain on alert."

Tornado gave Aqualad a brief, curious glance, before returning to his station on the ship.

* * *

Of all the things that Conner had expected to find uncomfortable while in prison, the trips to the psychiatrist were not among what he suspected to be the most painful. The moment he stepped into Hugo Strange's office, he immediately regretted his decisions up to that point as he was forced into what was to become an hour of dull, monotonous lecturing.

The entire office was set up to have a sort of meditative aesthetic. Tiny bonsai trees sat along the window sill, and there was a small fountain reminiscent of a waterfall off to the side. Hugo opened the session between "Tuppence and Tommy Terror" by introducing himself and explaining how exactly he intended to help them. It was his thought that through careful and compassionate dialogue, he would find a way to work through any reservations or insecurities the siblings might have, and hopefully help them to become more reasonable, well-adjusted individuals.

Conner found the whole thing to be a bunch of malarkey.

"Here's my concern," Strange drawled on, occasionally looking through some of the notes he had written down. "Your antisocial tendencies are a roadblock to rehabilitation and are often the result of a conflict with a mother figure. Hmm?"

Conner sighed and slumped further in his chair, his interest long since having left him. M'Gann meanwhile, was more reserved, sitting upright in her chair with her hands folded neatly on her lap. She cast a quick glance to Conner, worried for him. However, she thought that maybe she might have found an opportunity to help him with his own struggles while they were working, and she was going to take that opportunity.

"It's really more of a father figure thing." She said carefully, while Conner's eyes opened wide at full attention. After processing what she had said, he shot her a cold glare.

"Interesting, Tuppence. Expand on that." Strange implored.

"Or, _don't_." Conner countered, his voice having a harsh edge to it.

"Healing requires open dialogue Tommy," Strange chastised, his gentle smile never once leaving his face. "Go on, my dear."

M'Gann seemed to hesitate for a second, looking at Conner carefully, before she continued. "Well, he won't admit it, but Tommy really wants to be like his… our father. Be able to fill pa's shoes, y'know? But pa's distant at best, refuses to give Tommy the time of day." She paused before continuing. "It makes Tommy, feel unworthy of-"

"Well, maybe Tommy refuses to live in Tuppence's stupid fantasy world where every problem's solved in half an hour!" Conner suddenly yelled, cutting her off as he stood up and glared down at her. M'Gann immediately shrank under his gaze, turning away quickly. Seeing her suddenly fearful, his anger cooled a little and guilt started to replace it.

Strange took over before anything else could be said though, as the man clapped his hands together joyfully. "Excellent! I think we made a real breakthrough today."

Conner couldn't care less what Strange was saying. His thoughts were instead focused on M'Gann and how broken she looked when he yelled at her.

* * *

"I hope you realize I'm only doing this for Nora's sake," Freeze muttered disdainfully, as he followed Icicle Sr. through the laundry room, where several conflicts were working on cleaning the uniforms. Cold looked to the German scientist with some sympathy while Chillblaine rolled his eyes.

"It never changes for you, does it?" the small-time ice villain asked rhetorically before Icicle took over.

"Don't worry, Vic. By the end of this, you'll get the help you need for her." He assured his compatriot before the four villains arrived at a storeroom. Icicle slid the chain-link gate open before showing them a large crate set in the centre of the room. "These parts came in with the shipment of new prison orange."

Wilcox watched the three from the door, his brow quirked suspiciously. Cold set to work, grabbing a crowbar from the wall before looking to Wilcox, worried the guard would react. Wilcox showed the remote in his pocket, letting them know that they were to keep their funny business to a minimum. That was something that Leonard always hated about this prison; they treat all the convicts the same, no matter how they behave.

With the crowbar in hand, Cold easily opened the crate as the four villains peered inside, grinning in satisfaction at their findings.

"Exactly the parts we need." Freeze nodded, as Chillblaine rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"Oh, this is gonna be good."

* * *

"Cat Grant reporting from Chicago, where the Manhunter from Mars has defeated the Headmaster." The bubbly reported said on the newscast from the cafeteria TV. Icicle Sr. sat surrounded by his compatriots as they watched the news carefully, making sure to keep track of the names spoken.

"With the numerous heroes off-world, that accounts for every Leaguer except Red Tornado." Freeze mused.

"Probably on monitor duty, or whatever." Sr. dismissed.

"Heh, loser." Chillblaine snickered before Leonard elbowed him in the ribs.

"Like you're one to talk," the Central City rogue joked as Mammoth, Blockbuster, and King Shark all chuckled at Chillblaine's misfortune.

"At any rate, even if he does show, he can't handle all of us alone." Sr. continued before suddenly looking behind him, at the ponytailed figure who was approaching the table. "Don't even think about it, Brown."

"Tch, whatever." The former game show host sighed, rolled his eyes. "Cluemaster can sit wherever else he wants to."

"Heh, you think so? Cite some sources on that research Brown, it's looking a little out of date." Brick snickered, as Cluemaster attempted sitting at their table. "Beat it."

Brown gave one last glare to the gang-leader before walking off across the cafeteria to a relatively unoccupied table.

Just a few tables away, Conner sat down across from Jr., looking past his cellmate to the table where his father sat surrounded by his cronies. "So how come you ain't sitting with yer pa?"

"Because my pa is a jerk, who only wants me around when he needs me." He shrugged.

"Y'ever think of doing yer own thing? Like, I dunno, growing past him?"

"What, like being a hero? Ha, that's a laugh. Could you imagine that? Me, a hero." Jr. laughed before shovelling another mouthful of food in. "Probably not what you meant, but the answer's the same. I live by what I know, so I'm gonna stick to it for now. I just try not to live or die over getting his approval, you know?"

Conner looked away for a moment, all-too-familiar feelings coming back to him. He didn't have long to muse, however, as Jr. suddenly gave him a sly smirk. "So, tell me about your sister."

"What?" he asked in confusion before realizing what he meant. "Oh, she's a pain. Why?"

"Dude, she's hot!" his cellmate answered, punching his shoulder playfully. "You can't see it 'cause you're family, but I look at her, and I think, that chick gets me. And really that's all you need. Someone who sees the psycho that you are, and likes you anyway." He finished before having another mouthful of his potatoes.

Conner blinked once before giving a light chuckle, a smile coming to his face. "Yeah… you're like an evil genius."

Jr. shrugged at that before fist-bumping Conner, thinking he'd found himself a new friend for life. "Word."

"That's it old man, I'm done genuflecting!" Freeze suddenly yelled, before striking Icicle Sr. across the face with his lunch tray, sending the seasoned rogue to the ground. "Belle Reve needs a new capo!" he continued, kicking Sr. in the chin as the other prisoners suddenly sprang to their feet, ready to jump in. Jr. in particular was fixing Freeze with a look that demanded retribution.

Ultimately, it was Wilcox to the rescue as the guard drew his remote before activating the button, shocking Freeze into a series of violent spasm. "This ain't Arkham, Freeze." He said bluntly, as the villain collapsed on the ground unconscious. "We don't put up with prima donnas. Take him to Waller." He ordered, as two more guards grabbed the Gotham rogue and dragged him out of the cafeteria.

* * *

Shortly after the cafeteria incident, Conner and Jr. found themselves walking back to their cells, trying to make sense of Freeze's actions. The reasonable answer that Jr. came to was that it was part of his dad's plan. After all, the older man didn't seem particularly bothered by the apparent betrayal. Yet, there was still a nagging part of him that thought otherwise.

His father suddenly came up from behind, dragging Jr. off to the side while Conner watched from where he was left alone. Jr. soon found himself pushed against a wall as his father leaned in, his face dead serious. "There's a glitch. Can't reach Frost."

Conner, having overheard that decided to make his move. "Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing." He whispered, walking towards the father and son.

"That will happen when you eavesdrop," Sr. scowled.

Conner was unmoved by the villain's frustration as he leaned in confidently. "Yeah well, I can help. I got this mind link with my sister."

Sr. scoffed at that. "I know your stats, boy. Super strength only. No telepathy."

"It don't pay to advertise when they're slappin' collars 'round yer neck." Conner rebutted. "But, we're twins, see? Got the psychic thing in utero." He explained, seeming to garner some interest out of the older convict. "So you talk to me, I talk to sis, sis talks to Frost."

It ultimately proved to be Sr.'s own desperation that forced his hand. "Alright," he started, before looking around to make sure that no one else was listening in. "Send the message. It's going down, now!"

* * *

Waller sat behind her desk, suitably unimpressed with the Gotham native, while Strange stood behind her. His face was uneasy in comparison to her stoic mask. Freeze stepped forward, his hands bound by cuffs before he suddenly stopped in the middle of the floor.

The guard behind him nudged his shoulder to try and force him forward again. "Move." He ordered.

"Freeze!" the villain countered, before suddenly shoving his hands in the guard's face and firing a beam of ice at him, freezing the man in place. The smuggled tech had worked like a charm, and Victor Fries was once again fully powered up. He shot Waller a smirk before using his regained abilities to break the cuffs as he approached her.

Waller was quick, pressing the button on her remote to shock him. However, Freeze was faster, and he quickly opened his helmet to freeze the collar off, freeing himself, before reclosing the dome around his head. He panted a little in pain as he looked to Waller, shaking his head. "Too little, too late."

"We'll see." Waller sneered before standing up. "Voice activation, Waller-1! Lockdown!" she ordered as alarms suddenly started blaring all over the prison. Heavy steel blast doors slammed down in front of every opening as the numerous mounted turrets whirred to life, ready in case anyone attempted to make an escape.

With that taken care of, Waller drew her pistol on the villain, only for him to freeze it with a finger as she fired. The bullet stopped in its tracks, and the recoil travelled up her arm, sending her stumbling back in pain. Strange caught her carefully before looking at Freeze in fear. "Stop, stop!" he urged, trying to placate him to a peaceful resolution. "What do you want?"

"Master control for the collars." Freeze smirked before pressing the button on the desk that controlled every collar in the prison. Almost immediately, villains had their power back or were otherwise free to rampage.

* * *

Blockbuster immediately barrelled through his cell door, knocking a guard aside as he escaped, only for one of the turrets to start focusing fire on him. While this didn't harm the villain, it proved to be a potent distraction as he covered his face in an attempt to shield his eyes. He wouldn't have to wait long though, as Mammoth soon arrived, tearing the gun off the wall and crushing it in his hands. He then threw it through the door of the guards' reinforced monitor room, grasping the lone man inside and throwing him off the balcony.

The other villains ran free, yelling as one riotous mass while they easily took down the guards with their numbers alone. Conner ran alongside them before coming across Icicle Jr. and Sr. removing their collars; Sr. with his tech, and Jr. with his natural powers.

Jr. flexed his hands with a grin before looking to Conner. "Strength should be back, dude."

"Right, right." He nodded before tearing his collar off.

"How things going with Frost?" Sr. asked.

* * *

On the woman's side of the prison, the events were much the same as they were with the men. Niuhi ran among the villains, finding any guard she could and using the non-lethal takedowns Batman had taught her to incapacitate them. Luckily for her, in all the confusion, it merely looked like she'd beaten them in a single move.

She began moving them off into cells and locking them inside before she heard one of them cry out from behind her. As it turned out, her mother had corned one of them, with Devastation and Shimmer standing by as backup. M'Gann was there too, looking incredibly alarmed by all of the sudden violence.

The guard rolled over weakly, before looking to Frost with fear clear in her eyes. "Please… I have a family!"

"So do I. But please, cry some more. It's much sweeter that way." Frost smirked as she made a large spiked mace out of ice and raised it above her head. She didn't get the chance to swing it though before it suddenly exploded into pieces with a cry of "No!"

Frost stumbled back in surprise, before she turned around to see M'Gann staring her down, her arms extended.

She chuckled a little as she shook her head. "Well Tuppy, aren't you just full of hidden talents?" she asked, as Niuhi shot M'Gann an apologetic look, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help her teammate in this situation.

M'Gann simply narrowed her eyes at the villains as she attempted to fight back. _'Superboy, I think my covers- Augh!'_ She tried to warn him telepathically before she was suddenly cut off.

* * *

Superboy received his message as his eyes shot wide open in alarm. _'Miss Martian? M'Gann? M'Gann!'_ he called out, desperately trying to reach her.

As he stewed in his panic, Sr. had taken the liberty of rounding up all the guards he could find and forcing them into the cells that the villains once occupied. He finished by throwing Wilcox, Waller, and Strange into his old cell before closing the door with a laugh. "The prisoners now control the prison."

"That's not the same as escaping it." Waller scowled before standing. It was times like this she despised not having the Squad at her beck and call 24/7.

"Then we'd better get to work." Sr. concluded before walking to where Freeze, Cold, and Chillblaine were waiting for him. All the villains stood in a line in front of the main wall that lead to the entry courtyard. Then they raised their hands in unison and fired beams of ice to the wall, sending a massive blast of cold all throughout the prison. The chilling fog billowed throughout the hall, carrying a thick layer of frost covering nearly everything.

After a few seconds they relented, and then Mammoth walked over to the wall with Blockbuster and King Shark. The three giants immediately used their returned strength to throw powerful punches at the stone. They cracked through the ice first, and with the assistance of the cold having compromised the power of the concrete and steel, they made a decent size dent in the wall as well.

After a few strikes, they stepped away as the ice villains inspected their handiwork. "Excellent, at this rate, we'll have our exit in ten minutes." Freeze noted before the four villains once again fired blasts of cold at the wall.

"Genius, huh?" Jr. grinned, looking to Conner for approval.

"Oh, yeah." He nodded trying to keep both his calm and his composure now that his link to M'Gann had been severed. Despite the silence, he still tried to reach her through the telepathy. _'M'Gann please, can you hear me? I will reach you, somehow. I promise.'_

"Hey kid." Sr. called, as Conner turned to see the older con looking at him expectantly. "Still in touch with your sister? Everything copacetic in chick central?"

"Uh, yeah. Copacetic." He nodded.

"Then why you both standing around?" Sr. demanded, raising his voice before Jr. nodded.

"Oh, we're on it dad." He assured his father before leading Conner away back into the laundry room. He went to the corner, just past the dryers before he blasted the wall with his own ice beams. "This wall adjoins the women's wing."

Conner nodded, understanding what Jr. meant by that. "Yeah, right." He nodded before stepping forward and punching away at the wall.

"We work it from our end, while Frost and her ladies work it from theirs," Jr. said, leaning against the wall. "Then the babes cross over into our wing, and we all walk free together."

Conner wasn't listening anymore at that point though. With a renewed determination, he wailed on the wall, desperate to reach M'Gann on the other side. _'I'm coming M'Gann, just hold on!'_

* * *

"Look at 'em shiver 'n shake." Brick grinned as he and some of the other prisoners chuckled at the misfortune of Waller and her guards. With the repeated cold blasts from the villains, the temperature had dropped significantly within the prison. "Too bad you're not wearing the new orange we had smuggled in. Microtech thermal units sewn into the fabric keep us toasty." He bragged.

"Toasty?" Waller scoffed. "Before this is over, you'll be toast."

Brick snarled before reaching through the bars and grasping Waller by her tie. Once he had a grip, he pulled her forward, her head slamming into the bars painfully. "Before this is over, you'll be over!"

"Daniel, stop!" Strange suddenly urged, stepping forward with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "There are a hundred ways this could go down, and in all of them, a hostage like Waller is m-more valuable alive." He urged, occasionally stammering as he shivered from the cold.

Brick looked at the psychiatrist with an unreadable expression before he suddenly let Waller go, tossing her back to the prison shrink. Strange caught her gently as the two looked to the imprisoned drug-runner with differing levels of disdain.

"Thank him Wall." Brick spat out bluntly. "He just saved your life."

* * *

Despite the relatively quick effort that was breaking through the wall to the women's wing, Superboy still found it to be agonizingly slow. Every second that passed just allowed for his own fear and anxiety to build regarding what happened to M'Gann. He hoped that she was okay, as every blow he struck against the wall was fuelled by his desire to reach her in time.

' _I'm getting closer M'Gann, but I can't save you if I have to fight every con in Belle Reve…'_ he inwardly sighed. He needed some sort of a way to take the cons out of the equation. Something that would stop them in their tracks.

But then he remembered, only those with powers had actually managed to get their collars off. And even then, that was a minimal number. He now had a plan.

"Jr. listen, I just got me a warnin' from Tup." He said, turning to look at his partner. "Collars are turnin' back on in the women's wing. Could happen this side any minute!"

Conner had to bite back a smirk when he saw the look of fear on Jr.'s face. "Oh man, we'd better tell dad." The younger rogue said in a small panic. Now that he had the con's interest, Superboy went in for the finisher.

"Or… you could show some initiative." Conner posed, with Jr. taking only a few seconds to think it over. Any opportunity he had to make his dad happy was one he wanted to take.

With the decision made, the two set off for Waller's office. Upon arrival, they found the doors being guarded by Ojo, Hook, and Abra Kadabra. The older villains looked at the two suspiciously as Ojo held out a hand to stop them. "Freeze said no one goes in."

"Dude, you _want_ your collar to turn back on?" Jr. asked seriously, looking at the three as though they were crazy for stopping them.

Ojo folded his arms across his chest in response, entirely unmoved by the two teenagers. Superboy scowled, not wanting to waste any more time. Every second he didn't do this, was another second that M'Gann was without help.

"We don't have time for this!" Superboy scowled before suddenly punching Ojo, sending the professor into the wall behind him, cracking the plaster. Hook attempted to take a swipe at Superboy in response, only for Jr. to suddenly blast him with ice, freezing the assassin to the wall. Kadabra dodged the first ice blast but was too slow for a second as he soon found himself frozen in place, while Ojo struggled to get up.

"Keep an eye on 'em. I'll make sure them collars stay off." Superboy said before walking to the door.

"Fool, he's using you!" Ojo exclaimed, finally regaining his bearings as the fog in his mind cleared. "I remember him now, he's-"

Superboy suddenly cut him off by punching the con into unconsciousness. With all three taken care of, he entered the office with a satisfied smirk, closing the door behind him. Jr., meanwhile, looked at the three uneasy allies hey had to defeat before frowning. It was for the greater good of the plan, but it would still take some time to explain to his dad.

After a minute, he opened the door to look inside. "How's it going?"

"It's done," Conner said, running back to the door before the two teens went to return to the laundry room.

"Dad's gonna love this!" the adolescent rogue grinned, not noticing that the collar on Ojo reactivated just as they left.

* * *

While it took a while for the collars to activate again due to the sheer number of prisoners they had to attack, once they did the effect was instantaneous. Any villain who hadn't removed their own collars would suddenly cry out in pain as they were forcibly and painfully rendered unconscious.

Sr. and Freeze turned in alarm just as Cold, and Chillblaine fell unconscious from their own collars. He was now only left with Freeze, Mammoth, Shark, and Blockbuster as his plans now laid ruined at his feet.

"No, no, no, no, no! We're almost through! The greatest jailbreak in history!" He ranted madly while Freeze simply sighed in disappointment.

"Is history. What are we supposed to do now, carry them all out?" the Gotham rogue asked before the two suddenly ran to the cell where they'd left Waller. He opened the door before throwing Wilcox aside and grabbing Waller by her tie, his anger becoming dangerously apparent.

"Tell me how you did this or I swear, you won't thaw for millennia!" he threatened.

Waller was unmoved as she gave him a glare that was half fearless, half triumphant. "At which point you will _still_ be in Belle Reve!"

Now while there was nothing on earth that could terrify the Wall, that didn't mean she was invulnerable. Sr. intended to test just how durable she could be as he threw a fist back only for Strange to tackle him away into a wall while exclaiming "no!"

The impact knocked the wind out of Sr. as he groaned before falling back on the floor, while Strange looked up at Freeze, worried for any retaliation the rogue would take. Freeze however simply took one look at the scene in front of him before giving them a look of disbelief and pity.

"You must be kidding me."

* * *

Conner and Jr. had redoubled their effort upon their return and were now almost done breaking through the wall into the women's wing. It was this scene that Mammoth, Blockbuster, and Freeze walked in on. Mammoth and Blockbuster stood to one side cutting off their exit, while Freeze came up from behind the two boys.

It didn't take long for the teens to notice as they stopped to look at the older rogue expectantly. "I went back to the warden's office." Freeze started, his suspicion in full force. "Hook and Abra were taken out by ice before their collars reactivated. Your father, Cold, and Chillblaine were with me the whole time. So…"

"What are you talking about? We stopped the collars from turning back on! Oh, and you're welcome!" Jr. replied indignantly at the insinuation Freeze was making.

Freeze's eyes narrowed, and Conner decided to take out just a few more villains as he leaned into Jr., whispering in his ear. "Don't you get it? You heard Freeze in the mess. This is his power play. He's taking what belongs to yer pa!"

For Jr., the pieces suddenly fell into place as the attempted coup earlier was no longer a part of the plan in his eyes. It was an actual take-over attempt. For Freeze, however, he heard every word that Conner had just said. The two ice rogues too on battle stances before exclaiming at the same time:

"Traitor!"

Conner stepped aside in time as the two villains suddenly fired their ice at each other, each trying to over-power their perceived traitor. Mammoth and Blockbuster then lurched forward to attack Conner. Mammoth started first, swinging a punch that Conner avoided before the teen ran towards the wall. He tried to throw another punch, thinking Conner was cornered, before the teen grasped the arm and swung him hard into the wall, pinning him there.

Blockbuster was next giving a roar before he ran at Conner. Conner was ready though, as he suddenly threw Mammoth into Blockbuster, sending both crashing into the wall adjoining the women's wing. It wasn't quite broken yet, but its integrity had taken a significant hit as a result.

Conner turned back to his cellmate, only to notice that Freeze was overpowering him with little trouble. Jr.'s whole body was being pushed back as he struggled to even hold Freeze off for much longer. Freeze noticed this and poured on even more power.

"Amateur. You can't possibly hope to beat me at my own game. Not while Nora is on the line!" Freeze exclaimed, while Mammoth and Blockbuster slowly stood up behind Conner, both ready for round two. Conner grimaced before getting an idea.

"How 'bout we trade dance partners?"

"Deal!" Jr. nodded as Superboy suddenly leapt over the younger rogue before Blockbuster and Mammoth could reach him. The sudden attack caused Freeze to let up on his assault, as he looked to Conner in shock, before the boy landed hard on the villain, punching through his glass dome. And sending him crashing to the ground.

Junior used his own ice to freeze Blockbuster and Mammoth in place, as Freeze looked in horror at his now breached suit. "No, no! My suit is breached! Can't survive unless…" he trailed off before making a quick decision. Saving his life was more important than saving the breakout as he suddenly used his own ice to Freeze himself solid.

"I got mine, but I don't know if that ice will hold them," Jr. said, casting wary looks at the snarling powerhouses he'd trapped.

"Just keep at it. Pile on the ice, I'll finish up!" Conner said before rushing at the wall and breaking through it with a powerful shoulder check and arriving on the other side.

"Well, well, well. It's the brother." Frost greeted him. Devastation stood right next to her, her arms folded, while Niuhi was a few feet behind. As soon as she saw Conner, she looked at him with guilt on her face.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, only loud enough for Conner's own enhanced hearing to pick up on as Frost continued.

"Care to share Tuppy's fate?" she asked, looking to the side before Conner followed her gaze. What he saw was a massive block of ice and in the centre frozen solid and trapped, was M'Gann. He gasped when he saw her before rage took over. An indescribable and deadly rage. With a roar of defiance, he ran at Frost, while Devastation tried to intercept him.

The two super-strong metahumans exchanged blows, each one delivering powerful punches to the other, while Frost attempted to get an aim at Conner. However, this was proving to be a little too difficult as she cried out in frustration.

"Get out of the way!" she yelled at Devastation before growling as she was ignored. "Ugh, fine! I'll ice you both." She said before blasting ice at the two of them. Conner quickly spun Devastation around, using her as a shield as she was frozen instead. Afterwards, he flung the now frozen villain at Frost.

Frost rolled out of the way, but only barely, before she cast another glare to Conner. "So you were in on it too?" she accused before a sudden beam of ice hit her from behind, freezing her up to her neck.

"So was I," Niuhi said before walking towards her mother with a blank face. "Good news mom, I'm not some criminal. I am getting that better life you wanted for me. Sorry you had to find out like this though…" she trailed off as Jr. entered the room before looking around in shock.

"Dude, what are you thinking?" he asked Conner before his cellmate let go of all his anger and slowly walked towards the large block of ice that held 'Tuppence.' "Oh, dude… I'm sorry." Jr. said in genuine sympathy as he and Niuhi both followed Conner towards the block.

Conner reached out, rubbing some of the fog off the ice as he looked at M'Gann's frozen face within. Seeing the frozen fear and pain on her was agonizing for him as he wrenched his eyes shut painfully, not wanting to have to see that expression on her.

"And she was such the total babe, too," Jr. whispered before his eyes widened when Conner threw a fist back to punch the ice. "Dude, stop! You'll shatter her! Assuming she's still alive in there at all…" he warned, holding back Conner's fist as his cellmate looked to him regretfully.

' _M'Gann please… don't leave me…'_ he said telepathically, trying to reach her in one last desperate attempt.

At first, there was nothing, no reaction. But then a small crack appeared. From there, it spider-webbed and got bigger and bigger, the entire block shaking under the new stress before finally, it shattered outward. The shards crumbled to the ground, M'Gann falling with them before Conner carefully crouched down to help her up.

"Are you…?" he asked slowly.

"It's pretty cold where I come from..." M'Gann said, sitting up to look at Conner with a tired, yet relieved face. 'I'll be al-"

She was suddenly cut off as Conner grasped her face and kissed her. The effect was immediate as she melted into the kiss, happily returning it. Niuhi cooed softly before giving a laugh.

"It's about time. I could smell the tension on you two since we met." She smirked, while Jr. simply looked at them dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?! Are you crazy? Dude, that's your sister!" he exclaimed, horrified at what he was seeing. Almost in response to his exclamation, M'Gann shifted back to her normal form, finally revealing that she was Miss Martian the whole time.

"What… Wait, is she…? And are you…?" Jr. stammered, finally putting the pieces together. Finally understanding what Ojo had meant. Tommy was actually Superboy. "Oh, dad's gonna kill me."

"It's not your fault genius. We fooled the entire prison. You think sting operations like this can have any inside help?" Niuhi scoffed before slowly turning to her mom. Frost was watching all of this unfold, her face unreadable and very clearly conflicted.

"So… they're actually heroes. They were here to stop the breakout?" she asked carefully, as Niuhi nodded, walking towards her.

"Yeah." Niuhi nodded.

"And you're with them?" she asked, her voice having the faintest trace of hope in it.

"Yeah, I'm a hero mom." She nodded. Frost looked at her carefully as small tears formed in her eyes.

"Oh Niuhi… I'm so proud of you…" she whispered before her shoulders shuddered a little while she started to cry. Niuhi looked at her, almost conflicted before she broke her mom free of the ice and captured her in a tight hug. It was this scene that Shark walked in on after fighting Mammoth, Blockbuster, and Freeze incapacitated outside.

"What's goin' on here?" the demigod asked as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him warily. It was Frost who answered.

"It's our little girl… She's a hero. She's free from this life." Frost said happily. Shark looked to his family before joining them in the hug.

"So… you're not upset with me?" Niuhi asked carefully. Despite the fact that they were her parents again, they were still villains. And they were still involved with the break-out to an extent. This apprehension was clear in her voice as Conner and M'Gann both prepared themselves for a potential fight. However, their own fatigue being apparent showed their own disadvantage.

"Well… the break out wasn't our plan. We were a part of it, and there are gonna be consequences for this failure… but no. We aren't mad. We're just happy that you've escaped the hole we dug for ourselves as criminals." Frost said carefully, while Shark nodded along with her.

"Your mother's right little makani, but we can survive the consequences. We always do." He added.

"Wait, the breakout wasn't your plan?" M'Gann asked, now confused. She and Conner stepped forward, listening intently. Jr. was well now had his own curiosity captured as he listened as well. As far as he knew, the plan was agreed upon by everyone involved.

"No. It didn't even come from Icicle, he was just the instrument for it. It came from someone else." Frost said.

"So you were hired?" Niuhi frowned.

"Not hired, forced." Shark corrected.

"This started about a year ago. Your father and I had decided to leave the spotlight after Darkseid's last invasion. At the time, I had just recently given birth to you, and we were attempting to make our way into Canada so we could lay low, give you a normal life growing up. Maybe even start over."

"But we were caught. Someone sabotaged the caravan we were in. We tried fighting back but… something took over our minds, stopped us before we could fight back. Before we could protect you." Shark continued before Frost took over again.

"When we came to, we were in a dark room. The only light we had was from seven screens showing us live video feeds. Each screen had a different silhouette, but we couldn't tell who any of them were. And in addition to this, you were missing." Frost sighed, shaking her head at the memory. "The figures on the screen said they wanted our help in a plan they had to take down Belle Reve in a massive breakout. They'd already mentioned getting Freeze, Cold, Chillblaine, and Icicle Sr. on board. Freeze was through coercion; they said they'd help his wife."

"Wait, I didn't know any of this," Jr. said in shock. "I just got a message from dad detailing the plan, but none of this."

"Then you were as blind as the rest of us," Shark replied.

"And you agreed to this?" Niuhi asked.

"Hell no. We wanted no part in it. We had you to look after, and these figures who captured us, they had you somewhere. We were being driven by anger at that point. But… then they used their last bargaining chip." Frost continued, choking back a sob as she remembered. "They showed us some scientist… I think his name was Desmond? But… he had our baby hostage. He had you!" Frost said, looking at Niuhi with a heartbroken face.

"They said if we went along… that we'd get you back unharmed." Shark sighed, continuing for his wife. "But in return, they postponed the plan until July, when our staged attacks would occur."

"How old was I when this happened?" Niuhi asked carefully, dreading the answer.

"You were born in the first week of October, and they'd captured us not long after. You were two weeks old when they had you." Frost said, horrifying the four teens. "Those… people decided to hold you and experiment on you for months! All because Shark and I ran before they could make their initial offer. But we played along, hoping, _praying_ that you'd be returned to us safe. That we could have our little girl again. But look at you now… our baby girl is all grown up. They stole your childhood… they stole our chance to be your parents."

"Did you say the scientist's name was Desmond?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, we're pretty sure that was him." Shark sighed.

"Desmond was the guy who made me, cloned me from Superman. He grew me to the age I am now in sixteen weeks. He must have done the same thing to Niuhi." The clone frowned.

"He did. He kept me locked in a tube with G-gnomes in my head 24/7, all while advancing my ageing." Niuhi confirmed with a grimace.

"When I find that man, I'm going to kill him for doing that to you." Shark seethed as Frost nodded in agreement.

"Desmond will suffer for what he did to you." She said seriously.

"Well if you want Desmond, you might want to know that he turned into Blockbuster," Conner revealed, surprising the two villains. After looking at each other for a moment, they nodded in agreement for what they would do next.

"Thanks for the tip kid. That helps." Frost said. "It at least lets us take care of our own plans sooner."

"But, who were the seven people on the screens? You said you saw their silhouettes?" M'Gann asked.

"We did, but have no clue who they are," Frost admitted. "I wish we could tell you."

"It's fine mom… we can worry about that later." Niuhi assured her.

Frost nodded slowly, while Shark walked back into the men's wing ahead of her. The breakout was a failure, and the League would almost certainly be there soon, but they could at least get some sort of vengeance on the scientist for what he did. "Well… I guess this is it for now."

"I… I guess so…" Niuhi frowned. She finally had her family, and now she had to leave them again.

Frost saw her downcast face before cupping her chin gently. "Don't worry. Someday your father and I will get out. And then, we can be a family again. All three of us. But for now, head to this address." She said, slipping a small piece of paper in Niuhi's hand. "It's where my Uncle James lives. Your father and I were going to hide with him in Newfoundland before we were captured. Just tell him who you are, and he'll take care of you until your father and I can join you."

"Thanks mom… that means a lot." Niuhi smiled before hugging her. After a minute, Frost broke the hug and said her final goodbyes, before following after Shark.

"So… you're heroes, huh?" Jr. asked warily.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Our job here's done, the League will take over for us." Superboy nodded. "So what about you?"

"Me? What about me?" Jr. frowned.

"Are you gonna stay here in Belle Reve?" Conner asked.

"I… I guess so. It makes the most sense right? I mean, I'm still a villain." Jr. said.

"I guess. But you don't have to be." M'Gann offered.

"What, you mean join you?" Jr. scoffed before laughing. After a moment, he noticed that none of the three heroes were laughing with him. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Well, yeah." Superboy nodded. "I mean, it wouldn't be right away, but we might be able to get you out, get you some help. Who knows, you might like being a part of the team."

Jr. considered the offer for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, not right now. I think I gotta sort some things out with my dad first, figure out where I stand on my own. I'm tired of being in his shadow. Thanks for the offer though."

"Hey, it's no trouble. After all, ain't we friends?" Conner asked. Jr. blinked in surprise before nodding with a small laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." He relented before extending an unsure hand to him. "My name's Cameron, Cameron Mahkent."

Superboy looked at his hand before shaking it. "Call me Conner."

"And I'm M'Gann." The Martian girl introduced. "And I guess you've met Niuhi."

"Yeah, I have." Cameron nodded before Niuhi punched his arm playfully.

"Lighten up ice boy. The day was saved, that means smile." She joked playfully.

Cameron rolled his eyes before relenting as the four teens found in each other an understanding. And perhaps, a new friendship.

* * *

"Belle Reve will be fully operational by tomorrow," Strange said as he threw out Waller's name tag before replacing it with his own that he set on the desk. It proudly displayed that he was the new warden after Waller had been dismissed in the wake of the breakout attempting involving so much inside subterfuge. "All prisoners are accounted for, except the Cluemaster. Who somehow did manage to escape during the confusion."

Strange had to laugh at that. Despite the usual jokes directed at Arthur B]rown, it couldn't be denied that the man was tactically brilliant. The only thing that had stopped him so fast was the fact that his daughter decided to put on her own cowl to stop him, calling herself Spoiler. Apparently, having your own flesh and blood stop you in your tracks as opposed to the Batman was worth laughing over.

He shook his head wistfully before standing behind his new desk. "Still, you must be disappointed."

"Me?" Icicle Sr. laughed. "After the risk you took smuggling our tech inside you had nearly as much invested in the break as we did." The man said before shrugging. "It's a shame we got beat, but the main objectives were all reached."

Strange conceded that before the two men shook hands, happy with the results.

"The Light should be quite pleased."

* * *

 **Dun-dun-dun! PLOT TWIST!**

 **Not really. It's Hugo Strange, who the hell couldn't see this coming?**

 **Niuhi has made her triumphant return and is now on the team. Her relationship to her parents, I hope, was suitably tragic. After all, she spent her entire life to that point without them. She thought they'd abandoned her for scientific experiments. Clearly, that was not the case. And the circumstances to this are just filled with way too many blackmail deals and criminal actions for anyone to come out unscathed. Hers is a broken family, but it's time for them to heal.**

 **And it's already begun.**

 **Jason has become a sort of lieutenant for Kaldur and Keemia. That should be fun to explore more.**

 **Cameron Mahkent... I gotta say, I'm tempted t do a full redemption arc with him. It could be a lot of fun to play around with, but I'll wait and see how it works out. He is just a little misguided, not evil. Besides, he and Conner did form a legitimate sort of friendship almost. Granted, the circumstances weren't quite honest, but still.**

 **Next time though, the team faces a siege from within. When robots attack, and suddenly only Artemis, Robin and Ace can save the others. But how exactly can something like that get any worse?**

 **Find out next time, in "Homefront".**

 **As always, be sure to read and review. I love every single one I get.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	12. Homefront

**Lo and behold, I have returned! The hiatus is over!**

 **And you know what? So is the semester! With school being over I can jump right back into writing more of my beloved story. And with the one-year anniversary around the corner, I feel like doing yet another big ol' Q &A! So be sure to send your questions in for that, either by review or PM.**

 **Also expect some of my other stories to get updated. New chapters for "Tales from Earth-45" and "Konquest" are on the way.**

 **But before I get too carried away, let's take a look at some reviews!:**

 **xbox432: I'm glad you liked the changes I made for Frost and Shark. Those two are just done with losing and done with villainy. All they wanted was a nice quiet retirement with family. Cameron will definitely be back for that in the future. I never expected it the first time I watched the episode, but re-watching it for the chapter, he really did grow on me. Makes me wish they did try something like this for him in the show at some point.**

 **Malchior the Bad: I planned this tragedy for them, ever since the beginning. I figure Chillblaine would be the best replacement for Cameron later, especially since I love that loser. I don't know why you would think Cameron would makeout with Ace or Keemia, since those two are already a couple. And definitely not with Coldsnap. I have a different plan for them. Rooting for phase 5? Phase 4 hasn't even started yet! And no, I have not yet checked them out. I've been a little preoccupied. For Coldsnap getting a portrait... maybe? I do have a Deviantart, I just don't really use it ever. Snowstorm is a good choice for a new name for Cameron if I decide to change it. We'll just have to see.**

 **Mysterygirl145: Damn straight you should watch the whole show! In all seriousness, thank you for the compliments, it really means a lot that my ideas are well-received. And yeah, I'm a real sucker for a redemption arc as well.**

 **Guest for Chapter 1 from Jan 22: Simpler? Maybe. I still felt like this change was a good option so I went with it. It doesn't harm too many things anyway.**

 **Guest for Chapter 2 from Jan 22: Since I'm running with the canon established in the DCAU, Tim Drake** _had_ **to be the Robin I used.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Always great to hear from you my friend, sorry for the wait on this one. Glad to know you enjoyed this latest installment as well. Niuhi's return here was the main thing I wanted to get right, especially with the backstory for her being revealed in full. Using to also explain away Freeze's OOC behavior? Well that was just a nice little bonus for me. Cluemaster was another given when I was first planning this chapter, and I always thought he was underrated. His old costume sucked, but by god his tactical armour is god-tier design. And I love his character in general, especially in regards to Stephanie. His one man war against Black Mask? Beautiful! Nice to see that Cameron's interactions were well-received across the board. I really wanted to just plant the seeds of development for exploration later, depending on how people felt. And now? I definitely think I'll do it. Unfortunately, this chapter doesn't have Tomorrow Woman or any extra JSA inclusion, if only because I can explore that later in "Humanity" when I adapt that episode. Riddler being missing? That's just how the villains explain him not being around. I already referenced in 'Tales from Earth-45" that he works as an English professor at Gotham university now, as well as working with the Dark Division. This is why he's been missing. In any case, he will get a chapter on his own for "Tales from Earth-45", specifically a chapter revolving around him going treasure hunting. Should be fun ;)**

 **Zeo: Updates are coming! Herman and Giganta will get something. And I don't think I'll be giving Keemia a pet, neither snake nor turtle.**

 **rmarcano321: Lot's of questions, so let's rapid-fire answer them: Devastation was made as an anti-Wonder Woman. Too bad she sucks at it. Chillblaine is here just because he was another ice-villain from the first chapter. Also because he is such a loser, I love him. Things about Niuhi will be revealed in time. The current Suicide Squad features Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, Katana, Rick Flagg, Killer Croc, Killer Frost, and King Shark. Their inspiration for the relationship was absolutely taken from Assault on Arkham. Riddler's location was answered in Dion's response above. Nah, Shimmer will continue to be a jobber. Just a slightly less useless one. I might reference the comics, but that's it. Spoiler's role... well that would just be giving it away ;). King Shark for Niuhi's backstory and Cluemaster is replacing Riddler's original role. Cameron might just make the conversion to hero, we'll have to see. Fun fact: all of the guards were either named after or designed after some of the crew for the show. That should answer everything.**

 **7-Eleventh: No Venom. None at all. he will not be appearing. Eh, I might rename it later, or at least reference that the name got permanently changed. Prometheus does sound cooler after all.**

 **Ndare-47: Oh yeah, her name is tricky, isn't it? Phonetically, her name would be pronounced "New-hi". Hopefully that helps.**

 **Thanks again for all of the reviews you guys! It makes the writing process easier, and it's nice to hear the feedback.**

 **Now that this is out of the way, time for a disclaimer: as usual, I own nothing. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Keemia and all related characters are owned by Marvel Comics. There may or may not be a reference in here to Ed Boon's work, I suppose that would be owned by Ed Boon and Netherrealm? I'm just doing that one to be safe.**

 **In any case, away we go!**

* * *

 **Gotham City – September 22** **nd** **, 06:00 EDT**

Among teenagers, there was nothing more sacred, more beloved, than sleep. Craved and sought after by many adolescents, who want nothing more than to relax in their beds, never having to leave their ideal fortress of soft blankets and pillows. To interrupt this comfort is therefore the greatest upset they can endure.

Which is why alarm clocks are so hated.

Artemis was no exception to this rule. She reached out to silence her own alarm, before promptly curling back up among her blankets, trying desperately to sleep away the day. Unfortunately for her, the first alarm was replaced by a second. One of her neighbour's car alarms was blaring outside her window. Par for the course in Gotham, but still, a major pain in the ass nonetheless.

'Damn it,' she thought with a groan as her eyes slowly opened, reluctantly taking in the daylight that streamed through her window and bathed her room in a soft glow. She stared out to see the bed across the room, laying unused, completely untouched. As it had for the past eight years up to this point. An Alice in Wonderland poster hung above the bed, the colours faded with sunlight exposure, but the faces of both Alice and the Cheshire Cat were still as bright and vibrant as the day her sister first brought it home all those years ago.

Her sister. Just thinking about her reminded Artemis of the night she ran away from home.

 _-Flashback-_

Jade walked to her bed, setting her bag on it as she continued to take her various belongings from her drawers and pack them away. The perfect opportunity to run away from the home she hated had finally arrived, and she wasn't about to waste that.

Even if her younger sister watched her with fearful eyes.

"Please… please don't go." A seven year old Artemis begged, as she watched her sister packing her bag.

"Sorry sis," Jade dismissed quickly, packing the last of her clothes. "Mom's not getting out of prison anytime soon, and I refuse to live in this house with just dad."

"Dad and you and me." Artemis corrected, trying to get her sister to stay. "We have to keep this family from falling apart!"

Jade was silent at that, not moving an inch as she seemed to think about what she could say next. Before that could be answered though….

"Artemis, get up!"

 _-Flashback End-_

The voice snapped Artemis back to attention as she sat up in her bed, looking at the door to her bedroom. Her mother, Paula, stared at Artemis from her wheelchair with a stern expression on her face.

"I don't want you late for your first day of school." She continued before moving off down the hall. Artemis watched her leave before groaning in annoyance and falling back on her pillow defiantly. Artemis hated going to school at the best of times, but now?

She had to attend an all new school.

* * *

Gotham Academy was an old and proud institution, located right in the heart of Gotham City. It was considered one of the premier schools in the state, and had housed several prestigious alumni such as Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox to name a few. With its incredibly lofty reputation, it was a notoriously difficult school to get accepted into. Only the absolute best students would even be considered for its halls.

Perhaps that was why Artemis felt so out of place? She stood in the large open air courtyard in the front of the school, looking around at the old brick architecture and the numerous other students milling about. Several were studying and talking amongst each other. A small group was even playing with a hacky sack just off to the side of the main entrance. One thing they all had in common was the uniform they wore.

Artemis had determined the uniform to so far be the worst part of the school. She hated skirts, and being forced to wear one, with itchy woollen stocking no less, was proving very quickly to be absolute agony for her. The one solace she had was knowing that it could have been far sooner that this happened; the term was, after all, held back until the repairs in the wake of the battle with Amazo 2 were complete.

'If only that lasted longer, I might have avoided this whole thing altogether' Artemis mused, still fighting with her skirt.

"Artemis?" a voice asked, prompting the blonde to turn around and see a sophomore student with a small, welcoming smile. "I'm Bette, your new student liaison. Welcome to Gotham Academy." She greeted warmly.

"Thanks, um… I'm Artemis. But uh, you… knew that." She said nervously, before someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

A shorter boy with dark, slicked-back hair suddenly wrapped his arm around Artemis' shoulders, a wicked smirk on his face. "We'll laugh about this someday," he assured her before taking a quick selfie of the two of them and running off.

Artemis blinked at the sudden flash of the camera, before looking around to see that the shorter boy had disappeared as quickly as he came. "Uh… who's that?" she asked in confusion.

"A freshman. Ignore him," Bette said dismissively as the two walked off towards the building.

As the two walked off, another blonde girl watched them leave for the building. Her arms were folded, completely unimpressed with the boy's antics. "Tim, what was that about?"

"Nothing Steph," Tim laughed, blowing off her question. "Just being friendly to the new girl."

"That's more than friendly," Another voice called as a girl with bright purple and blue hair walked over to the two of them. "She another hopeful bat?"

"No such luck Harper. She's more of the Arrow variety," Tim smirked before the three walked off, his focus kept entirely on the photo he'd just taken.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – September 22** **nd** **, 18:43 EDT**

In the quiet hours of the evening, Happy Harbour had an unexpected yet welcome feeling of serenity. In this peaceful time, Superboy and Miss Martian were currently enjoying being alone together in the hangar next to Conner's motorcycle. After finally getting together in the wake of their mission to Belle Reve the week previous, the two had been nearly inseparable since then.

As a result, they spent most of their time sneaking away to the garage where they could be alone, away from the prying eyes of the team, especially Barry. While the two were engaged in yet another lip-lock, Sphere decided to roll over to them, beeping furiously to get their attention. The two broke apart before M'Gann laughed.

"Someone's jealous." The Martian girl mused.

"Maybe," Conner started, "Or maybe…"

"It wanted to get your attention because your friends were arriving?" Jason snarked before he walked in with Ashley and Niuhi. "I swear, you two are the worst kept secret here."

"You can practically smell the romantic feelings coming off the two of you," Niuhi teased, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Ha ha," Conner said, rolling his eyes.

"So, did you just come down here to tease us? I'd have expected Keemia to be here for that." M'Gann noted, petting the Sphere playfully.

"Nah, Keems is still busy," Jason shrugged.

"She and Kaldur are still in their meeting with Tornado," Ashley clarified. "But she probably would want us to get some more jokes in for her sake."

"Yeah, that figures." Conner nodded. "So, do you have any more obvious ones before…?"

"Hey guys!" Barry called out as he walked over to them, sandwich in hand. "Found Conner and Megalicious then?" he asked the newly arrived trio before turning to M'Gann and Conner. "You two sure spend a lot of time working on his bike."

"That's just because M'Gann really wants to go for a ride," Jason smirked prompting Conner to elbow his ribs while M'Gann and Ashley blushed in embarrassment, and Niuhi gave a snide laugh. Barry didn't seem to get the entendre though as he simply shrugged before looking at Conner.

"Obviously you need Barry's expert help," he determined, as Conner and M'Gann shared a knowing glance, and the Sphere once again beeped and whistled.

* * *

"So you have told no one else of this mole?" Red Tornado asked, as Keemia and Kaldur shook their heads in response.

"I cannot be sure one exists. And if it does, if the team is being betrayed from within, we must investigate without… tipping our hands." Kaldur answered, before Tornado turned to look at Keemia.

"What about young Ashley? She sometimes picks information up with her telepathy by accident." He pointed out, while Keemia shrugged.

"I've been practicing more subtle mind magics to help mask my thoughts from telepaths after our fight with Psimon. If Ashley's heard anything, she's not letting on." Keemia reasoned. "Even if she did know, I trust her implicitly."

"Is such a thing wise? Or are your feelings blinding you?" Tornado asked as Keemia suddenly froze, blushing faintly. Tornado seemed to notice the misinterpretation as he clarified, "I refer to how close you are as friends and teammates."

"Oh… right." Keemia nodded before clearing her throat. "Well, my point still stands." She huffed, still trying to keep her new relationship a relative secret, even if Kaldur already knew.

"But still, perhaps we should tell Batman…" Kaldur said, his eyes looking reluctant and unsure at the prospect.

"It probably would be for the best if he knew. He's the most well-equipped to help us out if we need a hand investigating this mole." Keemia nodded.

"Generally, the Batman expects the team to handle its own problems, but the decision is yours." Tornado said simply. "I will return after monitor duty on the Watchtower."

"I thought you were exempt from monitor duty, since becoming our den mother?" Kaldur inquired, as Keemia nodded, folding her arms.

"Yeah, don't tell me us young meat bags are already wearing you down." Keemia scoffed.

Tornado seemed to ignore them as he pressed a few keys to activate the transporter, the large machine whirring to life. " _Recognized: Red Tornado-16."_ the automated voice said as Tornado walked towards the portal.

"I agreed to cover for Green Arrow," Red answered plainly. "He has an interpersonal event with Black Canary. A hot date."

And with that, the team's den mother was transported up to the Watchtower, leaving the two teens behind. "Well isn't he lucky? He gets stuck with monitor duty while Arrow and Canary have a nice date to eat fine dining and place socks on doors? That's what I should be doing right now."

Kaldur chuckled at her irate comments, before shaking his head, bemused. "Then why don't you just go? There's nothing stopping you and Ashley from leaving for the rest of the evening." He pointed out as the two started to walk back towards the rest of the team.

"Other than the fact that we have mandatory training tonight?" Keemia countered with a sigh before shaking her head. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we're done here the better. Then you can go and give Batman a report about this mole."

"I think I'll do that now actually. It would be wise to inform him as soon as possible."

"Really? You're that worried about this?" Keemia asked.

"How can I not be? Our enemies have an insider feeding them information, and we don't know how much they have acquired from us so far." Kaldur frowned. "This could put us all at risk."

"I know it could, but so far it hasn't. If they come for us, we'll be able to hold them of for as long as we can until the League arrives, right?" she pointed out before punching his shoulder playfully. "Besides, most of us are here, and Tim will be coming later. Artemis too."

She shook her head wistfully before moving on ahead, throwing Kaldur a teasing smirk.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

'Well… it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be…' Artemis decided as she slipped into a back alley on her way to the decommissioned phone booth that the League had turned into a teleporter. Once Bette had showed her around, her anxiety went down a bit. Her heart rate was still erratic, but at least she could focus. Despite how work heavy the classes were, she found them to be fine. Passable even.

Even the other students she met weren't half-bad. Bette seemed to be someone she could trust. After all, she was related to Kate Kane, one of the richest socialites in Gotham and a high-ranking military official to boot. Aside from Bette, she also met a girl with dyed hair named Harper Row. She insisted on apologizing for the random freshman photo-bomber, and declared that she could string him up from any flagpole Artemis chose as compensation for his sudden appearance.

Regardless of how tempting the offer sounded, Artemis ultimately declined. But she did decide to accept the girl's invitation to study together on the weekend. If anything, she seemed like she might be a decent friend.

Artemis replayed these events in her head, in full costume as she prepared to open the door, only for an all-too familiar figure to step out.

"Artemis?" Robin asked in sarcastic wonder.

She gasped in surprise before turning to face the ever snarky boy wonder. "Robin, I… uh…"

"How random that you're in Gotham City instead of Star City, where your uncle Green Arrow lives." He said, his voice clearly indicating that he knew more than he let on.

"I'm uh, I'm here to see my cousin." She covered up, before mentally slapping herself for how hasty and rushed that sounded. "She was in the state spelling bee. Here, in Gotham uh… Gotham City." She said before internally cringing. 'God that's so stupid!' she berated herself.

"C-o-o-l." Robin nodded, clearly amused by how flustered she was. "Did she w-i-n?"

"N-o." Artemis scowled, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. Robin clearly knew too much, but what bothered her more was how snide he was about it. Almost like it made him superior to know this stuff.

"D-r-a-g." Robin shrugged as Artemis folded her arms.

"Yeah. Let's just go to the cave," she said impatiently.

Robin nodded before giving an exaggerated bow. "Ladies first."

"Your town, you go." Artemis countered, her hands on her hips.

He relented before stepping into the booth and activating the teleporter. " _Recognized: Robin B-01_ " the synthesized voice said before the boy wonder disappeared in a flash of light.

'God is he always like that? How did Keemia put up with him for this long without killing him already?' she mused mentally before she entered the teleporter behind him.

" _Recognized: Artemis B-09._ "

* * *

"Get down!"

Robin's voice was the first thing Artemis was greeted with after stepping out from the portal and into the cave. When the light faded, she had only a few seconds to dodge an incoming fireball as she cart-wheeled to the side. Robin leapt over the smoke and flames that surrounded them to land in front of her, ready to move at a moment's notice. From what Artemis could tell, the entirety of the cavern was ablaze.

Robin threw two of his discs into the smoke before another fireball flew at them in response. The two immediately dodged before Artemis drew her bow and fired an arrow at where she presumed their assailant was. More fireballs flew towards her and Robin as the two narrowly dodged them again catching sight of two shadowy figures through the smoke and flames.

"Who are we fighting?" Artemis asked, as numerous possibilities flew through her head. None of them seemed to be particularly pleasant, but they also seemed equally as unlikely. She fired another arrow to cover for Robin as he retreated to her side.

"Don't know, but we're sitting ducks by these tubes." He grimaced. "Head for the exit." He declared before rushing off with Artemis close behind. Avoiding a stream of fire, the two ran down an adjacent hallway, only to be met with a rapidly advancing wave of water.

"Or not…" Robin relented before the two turned to run, before the wave caught them in a surge of water. The Force of the wave send them colliding with a nearby wall before they slumped to the floor as the waters receded as quickly as they came.

The two quickly got to their feet, running through the leftover puddles as more fireball rained down upon them, evaporating the water into bursts of steam on contact. Choosing another hallway, they avoided a fire tornado before rushing into the workout room of the cave.

"Robin to team, come in Aqualad!" Robin spoke into his communicator, leading Artemis past the equipment and towards the shower room.

' _M'Gann, can you hear me? Are you there?_ ' Artemis said, attempting to use their telepathic link, only to receive no response. The fire tornado soon burst through the door to the exercise room, the explosion knocking the two to the floor before they quickly scrambled into the shower room.

"Robin to Batcave, override TD-4." He said into his communicator before he and Artemis entered the shower room and started turning the taps on in an attempt to mitigate the flames should they continue to follow them. "Cave calling Justice League, HOJ slash Watchtower. B-01, priority ray."

Once they were all on, he and Artemis backed up to the far wall, their weapons drawn and ready. "Com is down. Locked. At least the water's helping."

As soon as he said this, the pipes all around them started to creak and groan due to extreme pressure. The taps burst from the walls spraying more water as tiles came loose and fell to the floor. Shower heads came off next under the pressure as he showers were soon flooded.

"Or not." Robin sighed as the water filled up to the ceiling. However, it seemed that whoever was controlling it had incredible precision as it only filled the shower room, not spilling out the open doorway. On the other side of the door, the fire tornado sat ready to attack them again.

Robin swam to one wall, setting an explosive disc onto it before backing away as it detonated. Water rushed out of the hole, relieving the pressure as Artemis and Robin spilled into the adjoining hallway. Not wanting to give their pursuers another chance to catch them, they rushed towards the kitchen.

"We need to get lost." He panted as he and Artemis searched around for an exit.

"The air vent!" she exclaimed, pointing to the vent above their stove.

Robin nodded. "Good, go!" he urged as she rushed forwards to remove the cover, while Robin hacked into the mainframe from the panel on the wall.

Artemis stared at him, unsure. "What are you…?"

"Downloading cave blueprints." He answered. "Could come in…"

Any further answer was halted by the sound of metallic footsteps rapidly approaching down the hallway they entered the kitchen from.

"Go, go!" he whispered before the two jumped into the vent and started crawling away to safety, with Robin bringing up his holoscreen to guide them using their newly acquired map. "Go left." He said as they approached a fork, before they turned off. And just in time as a sudden jet of flames rushed past from where they were just seconds before.

"Ugh, too close." Robin grimaced. "Take the first right. There should be a vent cover right in front of you."

True to his word, there was a large rounded vent cover. Artemis easily removed it before she and Robin slid down the vertical ventilation shaft. They finally reached the bottom after a few seconds, crashing through another cover and landing upon a walkway in the boiler room. They took stock of their location before Robin pulled up his map again and surveyed the blueprints.

"This way!" he said, pointing down a small stairwell. Then ran down before another explosion rocked the room from behind them. They turned in time to see a feminine figure wreathed in flames fall through the same vent they came through, land on the walkway in a crouched position, before slowly standing up and turning to face the teens.

It raised its hands above its head, sending columns of fire up to the ceiling, and immediately raised the temperature of the boiler room to near unbearable levels. Deciding not to waste any more time with the stairs, the two teens leapt from the side railing before ducking behind some of the machinery. An intensely loud beeping noise was heard, as the two turned to see pressure gauges for the machines reaching critical levels as the glass started to crack and break from the strain.

"That's not good…" Robin groaned before rushing off with Artemis, as jets of white-hot steam erupted from the pipes and even more of the machines creaked and bent under the immense heat. The two ran under the walkway, avoiding another stream of fire as they took cover, with Robin consulting the map again. "I know that other access tunnel is here somewhere."

"You mean, this one?" Artemis asked rhetorically as she opened a vent on the floor before jumping in. Robin left an explosive on the machine to cover their trail as he followed her into the vent.

The blast outside seemed to have done the trick as the two set off again, before Robin stopped in his tracks and cracked a panel off the wall. "Hold on." He said, before connecting his holoscreen to the interface through the access ports on the wall. Artemis looked at him quizzically before he explained. "Locking out the cave's motion and heat sensors to prevent the enemy from tracking us."

"And I ask again; who is the enemy?" Artemis said impatiently. Robin just gave a small smirk in response.

"Let's find out." Robin decided. "Downloading cave security footage… there!" he grinned before calling up the video feed. The camera showed the rest of their team gathered around Conner's bike and their new Sphere. Barry seemed to be hard at work fixing the motorcycle while the others watched, almost bemused.

"Torque wrench," Barry asked, as M'Gann handed him the tool with her telekinesis. "Thank you, Green Cheeks."

"God you're incorrigible." Keemia huffed.

"That's a big word," Ashley mused.

"He's a big doofus." Keemia retorted as Kaldur stepped forward.

"I have been meaning to ask, any problem juggling schoolwork with your responsibilities here?" the Atlantean asked.

"None for me, I graduated." Jason smirked.

"I haven't even started." Niuhi chimed in while Keemia snickered.

"I'm still home-schooled, so it's no problem for me." Ashley answered.

"No." Conner said bluntly.

"My folks have a very strict policy on keeping up with my homework, so there's probably not gonna be a problem with that. Not unless I want to be grounded that it. Unfortunately, Conner here has to suffer the same penalties, all because his room is across the hall." Keemia joked before Conner gave her a playful punch to the shoulder.

"Juggling's just one of my many talents." Barry grinned before holding out his hand for another tool. "Socket wrench."

"Daily cheerleading practice has presented a challenge," M'Gann admitted. "Oh, but my first loyalty is always to the team. This team, not the Bumblebees."

"That's still such a weak mascot name. Couldn't you be the Hornets or something?" Jason mused.

"Bumblebees are way cuter though." M'Gann pouted.

"Artemis starts school today," Kaldur interjected, halting any further arguments. "Do you think she will have trouble maintaining her loyalties?" At that, Artemis' eyes narrowed.

"Nah, she'll manage alright." Barry defended, surprising Artemis and Robin. "I mean, how much more hostile and annoying-"

Any further comment from Barry was cut off by a sudden explosion destroying the camera, and sending the team sprawling.

"What happened?" Artemis asked.

"Explosion took out the camera." Robin surmised. "I'll find another angle."

He called up four more video feeds, each with a different angle to show what had occurred. In the second, a massive torrent of water rose from the lagoon, crashing into the team while another tendril of water struck the camera and destroyed it. On the third, the team attempted to rush into action before another wave overtook them, destroying that camera as well. On the fourth and last one, M'Gann rushed up some nearby stars with Kaldur and Niuhi before a sudden burst of flame destroyed the last camera.

"That's it. They're all dead." Robin said bluntly as Artemis flashed him a look of horror. "The cameras! I meant the cameras. I'm sure the others are okay." Robin assured her. "Just give me a sec to find the fastest route to the hangar."

Artemis slumped back on the wall as Robin searched, her patience wearing thin very quickly. "Yeah, they're fine. They've all got superpowers. They can handle anything."

"Ah yes, the amazing super-powered Red Hood. Blessed at birth with the power of gun." Robin snarked while Artemis shot him a scathing glare.

"You know what I meant!"

* * *

A few minutes later, the two would silently enter into the library, jumping from the vent on the ceiling as they landed on the upstairs balcony. Robin looked around for any signs of their attackers, before leading Artemis don one of the nearby staircases. "There's a secret passage behind one of these bookcases."

"Seriously, cliché much?" The archer scoffed in disbelief.

"You should see the batcave," Robin smirked before the two were suddenly grasped by telekinesis and frozen in place. Ace slowly emerged from the darkness before releasing the two once she saw who they were.

"Robin! Artemis!" she gasped before rushing forwards and hugging them.

"Ace, what happened? How did you escape?" Artemis asked while Robin continued to search.

"I don't know, one minute we were just talking, and the next water shot out of the lagoon and attacked us." She frowned. "Fire started raining from the ceiling as well. I think Keemia might have teleported me to safety, to try and find some help."

"She teleported you away? Why not Superboy? He's invincible!" Artemis scoffed before realising what she said when she saw Ashley's face. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"No, of course you didn't." Ashley sighed before walking off to join Robin. "Do you guys have a plan?"

"Yeah, escape." Robin nodded before the sound of a door opening upstairs put them all on high alert. The three ducked behind a nearby shelf as metallic footsteps could be heard descending the staircase.

"Artemis, Ace, Robin." A synthesized robotic voice called out as Artemis gave a sigh of relief.

"It's Red Tornado!" she said thankfully before rushing out to see him. Only once she got out from behind her cover, she found that it was most certainly not Red Tornado. The android in front of her looked similar, but the yellow markings on his chest were glaringly different. As was this android's hostile intent as it reached forward to grab her.

Robin jumped out, tackling her aside and under a table, while Ace used her telepathy to throw a desk at the android before she joined them. "Yes on the Red, no on the Tornado!" Robin grimaced as the three ran to escape their pursuer. As they approached the other entrance, another red android entered. This one had a more feminine build as crackling flames danced around their fingers. The three teens barely dodged her sudden burst of fire as they scaled the bookshelves and ran across the tops of them, trying to stay out of reach.

"Who… what are they?" Artemis asked as the sprinklers overhead turned on to put out the flames. This only allowed the first of the androids a new source of power as he controlled the water around him, forming a shield that deflected Artemis' arrows. The second android punched the bookshelf closest to her, sending the entire row falling like a set of dominoes as Artemis jumped to the floor where Robin was searching the shelf in front of him for a secret lever. Ace used her telepathy to hold the shelves back while simultaneously creating a barricade of desks for more cover.

Finally, Robin found what he was looking for as he opened a secret tunnel and the three escaped, with Ace releasing her hold on the shelves to bury their trail. The secret door closed just as the reds arrived, crushing the desks with their increased strength as they found their quarry to be missing once again.

* * *

"Did you know Tornado had siblings?" Artemis asked as the three ran down the hall.

"No." Robin answered, shaking his head.

"To be fair, I don't think he knows!" Ashley chimed in, looking back to make sure they weren't followed.

The three ran to a fork in the hallway, as Robin turned to go down a side path. Artemis grabbed onto his arm before he could proceed though, and held him back. "So now what? Red Tornado is one of the powerhouses of the League. How are we supposed to take down two of him?"

"They do seem pretty user unfriendly." Robin mused before Ashley nodded.

"Well, Amazo 2 had the powers of over a dozen League powerhouses, including Red Tornado, and we still beat him." The telepath pointed out, before Artemis rounded on her.

"Don't joke! They-"

"Attention Robin." The android's called over the intercom of the cave. "Attention Ace. Attention Artemis. You have exactly 10 minutes to surrender, or the lives of your teammates will be extinguished." It said, giving the three of them an ultimatum, as they looked grimly at each other.

* * *

Back in the garage, Aqualad and Niuhi were trapped within a cage made of fire, while they held an unconscious M'Gann. The two of them were normally okay with extreme temperature, but the heat was quickly drying them out as their gills were forced shut in order to survive the extreme conditions. The flaming android flew over to them in a column of lames before increasing the intensity of the heat, sending the two of two of them into a fit of laboured breathing.

On the floor below, the other members of the team were held fast in metal. The heat from earlier had melted several of the vehicles and the androids used it to seal Superboy, Kid Flash, Red Hood, and Keemia inside. In addition to this, Keemia also had a piece of metal welded over her mouth to prevent her from speaking any incantations.

The four struggled within their prison, before the water android emerged from the lagoon, and clenched his fist. The water suddenly spilled out before slowly rising around them, with the intent of acting a countdown clock towards them being drowned.

The androids examined the incapacitated heroes before nodding. "Nine minutes, forty-five seconds."

* * *

The trio ran down the halls, attempting to reach the hangar as fast as they could to save their team mates. "Eight minutes," the androids spoke again, their voices taunting them with an insidious countdown clock as Robin gritted his teeth.

"We can access the hangar from here." He said before Artemis turned her head and gasped as a torrent of water cascaded down the hall towards them. "Or not."

"Has he been like this the whole time?" Ace asked as Artemis gave a nod.

"Pretty much." Artemis nodded before turning to Robin as the three started running again. "Now, will you please stop saying that?!"

The torrent caught up with them, trapping them in the depths of the water. Robin removed his cape, which was slowing him down in the water, before taking out a rebreather and using it for a few precious breaths. Afterwards he offered it to Artemis who graciously accepted, while Ace simply focused her telekinesis to form a bubble of air around her mouth and nose.

They didn't have long to catch their breath as the android controlling the water shot out towards them at breakneck speed before grasping Artemis' ankle. She struggled in his grip, while Robin took one of her arrows and stabbed the android in the eye to distract it, while Ace grasped herself and her friends with her telekinesis and shot forwards down the hall away from the android. As the android removed the offending arrow, it saw the trail of explosives left behind and the blasts sent it further down the hall, while the teens escaped, breaking the surface of the water inside the hangar.

The three coughed and sputtered, relishing the chance to breathe oxygen again before Barry's voice called out to them. "Look out!" he warned as the three dove out of the way of an incoming fireball, before swimming underwater and surfacing near their trapped teammates.

"You guys okay?" Robin asked as Ashley made her way over to Keemia, watching her worriedly.

"Forget us, help M'Gann!" Superboy urged as he looked up to the fiery cage.

"Aqualad! Is she…?" Artemis trailed off.

"She is unconscious. I fear she… we, can't survive much longer." Aqualad panted as Niuhi gave a weak nod.

"Yeah, this heat's not doing us any favours." She coughed before the flaming android shot more fireballs at Robin, Artemis, and Ace. The three dove for cover again, before Keemia's eyes became focused and she flicked her free wrist, revealing a small wand.

"Oh my god, stored magic!" Barry realised, having researched the phenomenon. Keemia gave a soft but curt nod as she used the wand to teleport out of her bindings before she appeared on the upper platform. With another flick of the wand, the metal on her face disappeared as she spat to the side.

"Oh god, that tasted awful." She groaned before teleporting again, to avoid a stream of fire. This time, she appeared off to the side before conjuring a shield that easily stopped the fire from reaching her. Ace, Artemis, and Robin soon arrived at a staircase as they started running to meet her. The water android wasn't too far behind, however, his focused was soon trained on Keemia as opposed to the other three.

"Keemia, look out!" Ace warned as Keemia had just enough time to turn around and see a column of water slam into her face before rushing towards the ceiling, forcing her roughly against the rocks. Being slammed into a wall and water-boarded did a number on Keemia as she weakly fell from the sky, losing consciousness.

"No!" Ashley cried out before catching Keemia gently with telekinesis and lowering her body to the ground, rushing to her side. The androids quickly surrounded her, Robin, and Artemis however as they were soon left with almost no escape.

"I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis grimaced as she drew her bow, while Robin gave a short nod.

"Distract her, now!" he urged as she fired her last explosive arrow at the fire-wielding android, while Robin rushed to engage the other one, throwing three of his discs at it. They bounced off its body, providing little more than a distraction as one ricocheted and embedded into the warped metal, only inches from Kid Flash's face.

"Whoa…" the speedster grimaced.

The two robots got on either side of Artemis and Robin and fired their elements, only for Ace to rush forwards and knock herself and her teammates into the water, while the androids' attacks collided to make a massive cloud of steam, covering their escape further.

They dove deeper and deeper, before removing yet another vent and climbing up, once again surfacing in a side tunnel as the three were left winded from the encounter.

"Six minutes." The androids called out as Ace moved back towards the water.

"I'm going back for Keemia."

"Not by yourself! You'll be killed!" Artemis practically screamed.

"And what will they do to her, do you think?" Ace countered, silencing the archer. Artemis seemed dumbfounded before sighing and looking at Robin.

"So what do we do now?"

"We save them. That's how this works." Robin answered.

"Maybe that's how it's supposed to work, but those robots already took out six of our super-powered friends, and one rabid vigilante." She scoffed before Ace slapped her shoulder.

"Like you're being any help here. All you've done since I've found you two is complain!" Ace scowled. "If you were half the hero you think you are, you'd actually try something."

"Oh that's rich, I'm being lectured by some super-villain's pet project?"

"Pot, kettle." Ace glowered as Artemis suddenly paled at the implication. Robin watched the two with a smirk.

"You two seem distraught." He mused.

"Distraught, M'Gann is dying!" Artemis screeched. "We have no powers, and I'm down to my last arrow, of course I'm distraught!"

"In case you haven't noticed, Keemia also almost died. And because I know you haven't noticed, I also have powers!" Ace yelled. "Why am I even bothering with you?"

Robin nodded before looking at Artemis seriously. "Get traught, or get dead!"

"How can you be so calm about this?" Artemis asked before Robin and Ace started moving on ahead down the vent, with the blonde archer trailing not far behind.

"Practice. I've been doing this since I was nine." Robin answered.

"What good is that now? What chance do we have against unrelenting machines?" Artemis asked frantically.

"I... wait. Duh! They're machines!" Robin exclaimed, having an epiphany. "And one electromagnetic pulse will shut down any machine within range."

"You're right. We could still take them down!" Ace nodded.

"Great, except you better have an EMP emitter in your utility belt, because I know I don't have one in my quiver." Artemis frowned.

"You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Ace muttered while Robin smirked.

"You know, I'm fresh out. But I'm betting we can make one." He grinned before reaching up to touch his communicator. "What do you say KF? Doable?"

On the other end of the line, Barry looked at the disc embedded inches from his face, which had a communicator attached to it, allowing him to hear everything Robin said. "Totally doable!" he nodded eagerly.

"Five minutes." The androids spoke again, as the water rose another quarter inch closer to his chin.

"You know, if you had more time." The speedster grimaced.

* * *

The trio arrived in the medical lab of the cave, before crawling out of the vent, making sure the coast was clear. "I think we're good." Ace whispered. "I'll watch the door to be sure." She said before moving off as Robin nodded.

"Alright, now that you're in the med lab, find an x-ray machine." Kid Flash urged before Robin found the x-ray machine in question and removed the side panel. "You'll find a small vacuum tube called a vircator that converts high energy pulses. Reprogram the unit's microwave conversion from x-ray's to EMPs, with a cascading energy vector directed outward."

Robin did as he was told, before carefully removing the unit with an awed expression at the plan's brilliance. "A ripple effect. Like dropping a stone in a pond."

"A stone with ten to the twelfth power wattage, yeah." Barry confirmed.

"So I'll need to hook it up to the cave's main generator…" he mused.

"Which is where?" Artemis asked before Ace looked back with a grimace.

"Isn't that back in the hangar, on the ceiling?" she asked as Artemis' eyes widened and Robin gave a grim nod.

"Shit…"

* * *

Back in the hangar, the two androids stood near the fire cage, having seemingly given up the search for the remaining three members of the team. It was more likely though that they were just waiting for them to show up again. After all, their ticking clock threat worked before, why wouldn't it again?

The hydrokinetic android worked alongside his sister to ensure Keemia was down, only this time they ensured she was unconscious, as she now lay at their feet just inches from the cage. They took a minute to survey their handiwork before walking to the edge of their platform and looking at Kid Flash, Superboy, and Red Hood, still trapped below.

"Four minutes." They announced.

In one of the exit tunnels used for the Bioship, the trio emerged again from the vents before carefully moving over to the edge to stake out the hangar. Ace's eyes immediately fell to the fallen form of Keemia.

"Keemia…" she whispered fearfully, before Robin laid a gentle and knowing hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get her out of there. We'll get them all out." He assured her. Ace gave a small smile and nodded back before Robin activated his comm. "Okay, make with the distraction."

Barry nodded before grinning at the androids. "Hey! Red Tomato! Who's your girlfriend, Red Onion?"

"Who created you losers, anyway? Did they have a fetish for T.O. Morrow, or did their OCD demand they finish the elemental set?" Jason added. "That reminds me, where's your Earth bender? It's the best element!"

"Yeah, and by the way, worst death trap ever." Superboy chimed in, not wanting to be left behind with the insults they were hurling. "We can escape any time we want!"

"I can vibrate my molecules out of here before your binary brains can count to two!" Barry called, as Robin, Artemis, and Ace all moved into position.

"Besides, do you know how many things I carry in my utility pouches? I could probably melt through this metal without your weak ass flames." Hood laughed, as Robin prepared a grapple.

"Cover me," he urged as Artemis drew her bow with her last arrow while he swung over.

"And you can't drown a Kryptonian dumb-bots. We don't breathe air." Superboy bragged, trying to keep up the distraction.

Robin made it to the generator safely, opening the panel as prepared the EMP generator they made, hearing Barry's laughter ringing out all through the hangar. "And Ms. Martian? I can't believe you're buying her act." He scoffed as Robin activated his holoscreen.

"Rerouting power now." He nodded before turning back to his trapped teammates providing the distraction.

"Yeah, you know how hot it gets in the caves of Mars?" Conner jabbed.

"A lot hotter than you could ever get, you crusty matchstick!" Jason added before he and Conner broke into genuine laughter.

"That cage is just making her homesick!" Conner jabbed again.

Robin frowned at how long it was taking as he checked over the system again. "It's not working." He muttered before noticing the flaw. "The circuit's incomplete. I need something conductible, something metal or-"

"Robin look out!" Artemis cried as a sudden surge of water knocked Robin off of the generator and into a freefall. Ace flew out before catching him with her telekinesis, suspending both of their bodies in the air.

"Artemis was about to fire on the androids, but a sudden ball of fire forced her to dodge, knocking her aim off as the arrow instead landed on the ground behind the robots, detonating harmlessly. The pyrokinetic kept up the assault as Artemis fell back, hiding in the vent once again.

"We're going down here, aren't we?" Ace grimaced as she narrowly dodged a stream of water.

"Yeah, but we can at least go down fighting." Robin nodded.

"Time to feel the aster," she sighed before rushing forward in a barrel roll as she and Robin avoided streams of both fire and water before landing on the platform. She let Robin go before staring at the androids, who turned to her with interest. "Ready for what I can do?" she asked before her eyes glowed and suddenly the entire platform shimmered and warped, forming massive walls and barricades that weren't there previously.

"Reality warping?" Robin asked in awe.

"Yep, and since it runs on my thoughts, I can see all around us, even if they don't have minds to read." She smirked.

"Cover and an advantage. I can definitely see why Keemia likes you now." He chuckled as Ace fought a blush.

"Not the time!" she called before noticing that the robots hadn't moved in yet. "Wait… what are they waiting for?"

Robin looked around warily before they heard the telltale hissing of steam. The two androids combined their powers as the platform suddenly flooded with a thick cloud of steamy mist. "Uh oh… smokescreen."

"I can't see them… I can't see anything!" Ace panicked before a sudden impact from behind knocked her to the floor and unconscious.

"Ace!" Robin cried as the platform warped back to normal and a jet of water picked him up before slamming him on the ground roughly, knocking him out as well.

As Artemis hurried through the vent, she found a hole in one of the panels that allowed her to peek through into the hangar. Looking through, she saw Robin and Ace, both knocked out and suspended in a column of water. She gasped in horror before falling back, grasping her head in a panic. Images of her teammates suffering flashed through her mind as she began to hyperventilate.

"No… no, no, no, no!" she sobbed before curling into a ball on the floor. After a few seconds, she looked out again to see Robin and Ace laid out on the platform next to Keemia, while the water rose up to the chins of Conner, Barry, and Jason. Kaldur and Niuhi had since passed out from the heat.

She watched carefully before considering her options. "I surrender… I die with the others. But if I find a way out… out of the cave…" she began before once more crawling through the vent. "Get out of the mountain, I can get help. Call in the League!" she reasoned before suddenly slipping down a vertical shaft, falling for several meters before coming out of the vent and crashing in the trophy room.

"Three minutes." The androids announced as she groaned painfully before standing up again.

"Ugh, who am I kidding?" she sighed. "Best I can do is hide, and hope the League finds me before the Reds." She frowned before looking to the wall and seeing the trophies they had gathered, including one of Cheshire's masks.

"I know you understand." She sneered, looking at Cheshire's mask with undisguised hatred.

- _Flashback_ -

"We have to keep this family from falling apart!" Artemis begged her sister, hoping that Jade would see reason and stay with her. Jade seemed silent, almost contemplative, as she slowly turned to face her sister. And then…

"Toothbrush! Duh, I knew I was forgetting something." Jade admonished herself, before going into the bathroom and grabbing the last of her toiletries.

Artemis looked at her, heartbroken as her sister was about to abandon her to their rapidly breaking home. To their dad who would want nothing more than to break the two of them for any attempt at rebellion, like Jade was attempting. "Dad will come after you." The blonde warned.

Jade zipped up her duffel bag before pulling on her jacket with a smirk. "Let him." She declared. "I'll disappear like the Cheshire Cat." She said, adjusting her ball cap before grabbing her bag and heading for the door. As she reached it, she stopped for a moment. "You should get out too." She warned her sister, before giving a shrug. "I'd let you come with me but, you'd slow me down."

"Someone has to be here when mom gets out." Artemis said defiantly.

"Haven't you learned anything?" Jade asked, almost in disbelief. "In this family, it's every girl for herself."

With that, she closed the door. And Artemis was alone.

- _Flashback End_ -

She held the mask in her hands, gazing into its empty eyes, before her own eyes narrowed in determination. "That may have been true about our family, but I found a new family." She declared with a smirk. "And here? We're all for one, and-"

"One minute." The android interrupted her musings, as she hastily put the mask back. As she did however, she noticed one of her arrows displayed proudly next to it. Her eyes widened at the possibility before hardening again in determination. It was time to free her friends.

* * *

The elevator door to the hangar opened with a muted bell tone as Artemis emerged, holding her bow out in front of her in both hands. "I surrender." She declared as the two androids turned to look at her. "Stop the clock." She begged as she approached.

She took a quick side glance at Robin, Ace, and Keemia, as the water below finally rose over the heads of her team mates. The androids approached her, as the hydrokinetic held out his hand to take the bow. She looked at the open hand for a moment, before suddenly leaping in the air, and jumping off of its hand, to knee it in the face.

The pyrokinetic attempted to blast her, only to be met with Artemis' boot kicking it in the face, as she back-flipped away, drew the arrow back, and fired. Time seemed to slow down as the arrow soared through the air, and across the hangar. In less than a second, it found its target; embedding right below their homemade EMP generator and completing the circuit.

The effect was instantaneous as the generator sparked to life before ending out and absolutely massive EMP wave. It struck the androids almost instantly, causing them to spark and spasm before they collapsed on the ground, their power gone.

With their captors out of commission, the fire cage disappeared and the water receded, freeing their trapped team mates. Conner, Jason, and Barry all gasped, taking in precious oxygen as Conner looked up to the platform.

"Kaldur! How's M'Gann?" he asked.

Kaldur groaned painfully before sitting up. "She breathes. I believe she will recover."

"We're okay too, thanks for asking." Niuhi scowled before Kaldur turned to his other fallen comrades.

"What of the others?" he asked as Artemis ran to Robin, reaching out as he coughed and sputtered, with Ace doing the same.

"They're breathing too!" she said in relief as Robin slowly turned his head to face her.

"Way to get traught." He smirked before Artemis fell back, sighing in relief.

* * *

With their team mates from the cage now recovered, they all walked down to where Barry, Conner, and Jason were all still trapped. The androids were left off to the side, while Keemia's unconscious form was being watched over by Niuhi, who generated some small ice cubes to try and keep her swelling down where she hit her head.

"Figured my only shot was to surrender, pretend to drown before I actually did." Robin said, explaining as to why he went down so easily. "Blacked out though."

"Sure, that's what happened." Ace scoffed, rolling her eyes before Robin jabbed her shoulder playfully.

"M'Gann…" Conner said worriedly before the Martian girl reached out to hold his hand.

"I'll be fine," she assured him, while Kaldur supported her weight to stand. Despite the fire being long gone, she was still feeling fairly weak.

"Will you quit playing with that thing and cut us free already?" Barry asked Artemis, who was currently trying to get one of their welding torches working.

"Ugh, Barry keep it down." Keemia groaned as she sat up slowly. "Some of us have concussions over here." She snarked as Ace rushed to her side.

"Keemia! You're okay!" she said worriedly, hugging her close.

"Of course I'm okay. It'll take a lot more than Sektor's handicapped cousins to-" she was cut off as Ace suddenly captured her lips in a kiss.

"Whoa! Since when was that a thing?" Barry asked in surprise.

"Since sometime around Bialya I think?" Robin mused before Kaldur jabbed him in the ribs to admonish him.

"I think they'd prefer to not be gawked at." He said pointedly as Barry gulped at the underlying threat.

"R-right, anyway just cut us out of here!"

"It's not working, genius!" Artemis scoffed. "EMP shuts down all machines, remember?"

"All machines present at the time." Red Tornado corrected as he suddenly arrived, flying down to where the teens were bickering. He landed in front of them before taking stock of the situation. "What has occurred?"

"Had a little visit from your family." Robin said, jerking a thumb to where the other androids lay.

"Your extremely nasty family." Artemis added.

"I was not aware I had relations." Red Tornado answered, in as much surprise as his voice could muster.

"Like that's any comfort." Niuhi said snidely before looking at the still kissing couple. "God, don't you ever stop to breathe?"

"Where have you been?" Conner asked Tornado, as the Leaguer moved to investigate the offending androids.

"Monitor duty on the Watchtower. When it became clear cave communications were down, I attempted to investigate. But your zeta tubes were also non-functional." He reasoned before kneeling down to examine the two. "I transported to Providence, and proceeded here."

Sphere finally managed to free itself from the wall before rolling over to Superboy, who gave a small nod to it. "Hey boy," he greeted.

Artemis watched before suddenly being knocked back as a beam of heat came from the welder. She deactivated it quickly before Barry and Robin both quickly realized what this meant.

"The pulses wore off!"

Red Tornado reached out to the androids, as a spark of red electricity flew between the fingers of the Leaguer and the deactivated androids. In a second, the two intruders were back online, before Tornado's own eyes glowed a murderous red.

He took to the air immediately before conjuring two massive cyclones around his arms and siphoning the oxygen away from the teens. They all tried to escape or fight back, but one by one they eventually succumbed and collapsed to the floor.

"Can't… breathe..!" Artemis struggled before she too succumbed.

* * *

"Artemis." A voice called, echoing all around the blonde as she struggled to wake up.

"Artemis, can you hear me?" it spoke again before Artemis opened her eyes to see Superman standing over her, a worried expression on his face. She groaned painfully before Superman reached down to help her up. "She's alright," he called as Artemis turned to see that several other members of the League were present.

Aquaman and Martian Manhunter comforted Aqualad and M'Gann respectively. Green Arrow watched Artemis with undisguised concern while Batman talked with Robin. Flash and Captain Atom worked to free the team mates still trapped in the metal, with Black Canary overseeing them as Zatanna attended to Keemia's injuries.

"What happened here?" Superman asked as Artemis suddenly turned to him with a sneer.

"What happened? The Reds happened! Tornado and his…" she exclaimed before noticing that Tornado was gone, as were the other androids. "Wait, where are they?"

"Gone…" Robin said ominously as he turned to face her. "All three of them… gone."

* * *

 **Boom! Another one done!**

 **And Red Tornado... is a traitor?!**

 **Or not. We'll see. *shrugs***

 **Housekeeping now, starting with Ace: Got a bit more expansion on her here. Mostly in terms of how she works with the other members of the team. Artemis and her are definitely going to have a significant amount of distrust between the two of them, as their interactions would suggest. It'll only get worse from here though, watch out. We also see her first major weakness: if she can't hear your thoughts, she needs to rely on sight. Not a big worry with a group backing her up, but alone? That's anyone's game. She'll also have another short-coming, one that Artemis is helping to make. See if you can guess.**

 **Speaking of expansion, the batfamily grows! Kate Kane has been referenced, and yes she is Batwoman. Bette may or may not be Flamebird already. I'm undecided on that. Stephanie is already Spoiler, and Harper is already Bluebird.**

 **Artemis gets more growth, both from the episode and new. While some people she trusts more, others? Not so much. It'll help fray the knot even more. Oh the twists and turns this will take!**

 **See why I wasn't sure about Netherrealm when I included a Sektor reference?**

 **Ace and Keemia both come out. Another cute little moment, so let's see how this builds next time.**

 **Next time... oh _next time_...**

 **Tensions will run high. Trust will be strained. Leadership tested, and Marvels made. On top of that there's more danger to be had. Another major villain appears as well as another big hindrance. But who really cares about that? It's just gonna be a Nobody...**

 **Tune in for the one-year anniversary with: Alpha Male!**

 **As always, be sure to read and review.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	13. Alpha Male

**So uh... about that hiatus being over...**

 **Really sorry for the long wait on this one guys. I'd hoped to get it out to you sooner, but things didn't quite work out as planned. To make up for this though, this chapter ended up being my longest one yet. So hopefully that counts for something here.**

 **I must admit that I had more fun with this chapter than I expected, especially with all of the extra stuff that I got to add. personally, I feel like some of my funniest jokes yet came from this chapter alone, but I'll leave that up to you to decide.**

 **So much pop-culture stuff came out in this time though. How about that Endgame movie, eh? That knocked my socks off for sure. And since the official spoiler ban is off I can talk about it. All I will say though, is this: Go watch it. Do yourself a favour and watch it if you haven't. Apparently its coming out again with some deleted content as a "special DLC edition", so go see it. Even if just so it beats Avatar.**

 **Something has to beat Avatar by now...**

 **In other news, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 looks damn great. Elsa Bloodstone is such a surprise for this game, but its made me so much more ecstatic for it. And the Fantastic Four are coming! Mark me down as excited!**

 **Now onto the reviews you guys left. Unfortunately I didn't get enough questions for the Q &A, but I still got some good reviews from you guys. As always, I love getting them. So let's take a look, shall we?:**

 **rmarcano321: Don't worry, I have a plan for the Reds ;)**

 **darthwolf: I don't really have anything planned for Match if I'm being honest. But we're still a ways away from that yet, so you never know.**

 **CRUDEN: Figured it was time she got a little more spotlight.**

 **LegionnaireBlaze: Well, as I said earlier, I have plans for them.**

 **Dion ComicWiz: Good to hear from you my friend! Sorry for the extended wait on this latest entry, but hopefully it continues to delight all the same. I'm delighted to hear such praise coming from you for my last entry. Hopefully this chapter continues to improve and and impress. Artemis and Ace's little bout of distrust and tension is only gonna get bigger from here. I have to admit, including Harper was a personal thing since I absolutely adore Bluebird in the comics. How could I not include her? And having Both Bette and Stephanie just made it more fun. The Bat-Clan in Earth-45 is surprisingly large already, and I can't wait to show you who else is around. I really felt like Ashley's weaknesses had to be established in order to keep her and M'Gann more unique with their powers being so similar. Yeah, the reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender was really easy, but making that Sektor joke? That's another purely personal one, but it was so easy. Riddler's little treasure hunt is going to be coming soon... hopefully. The next chapter of Tales from Earth-45 will be "Patriot Act", but his little escapade will be next. Don't worry, Mr. Nobody will definitely be bringing his unique brand of personality to this bout!**

 **Malchior the Bad: As I said before, no Earth 616 characters will be showing up anytime soon. Or rather, no one in any major prominent appearances. As for Sektor, he is a robot ninja from the Mortal Kombat series.**

 **7-Eleventh: Oh trust me, we'll see the full effect of the distrust come to light here. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to release this on the exact one-year anniversary. But I at least got it out. Oh Red Tornado won't be coming back for a while yet. They've got a few more missions to run before even beginning their search. I already have my Injustice League roster selected, but I will say this: Polaris is a little... dead at the moment. It's a solid roster that you have though. The entire Marvel family will not be appearing. It's still just Shazam, unfortunately. One of those two ladies very well could join. But we'll just have to wait and see ;). Yeah, Artemis and Ace are definitely going to have a lot of tension in the near future, even if it becomes more one-sided. Again, assuming that Chapter 14 will be when they go after Tornado. After all, that's again a while away. As for the League appearing for it, not gonna happen. It kind of defeats the purpose of the team sneaking out after all, right? Niuhi might end up visiting her parents though. That might be cute...**

 **Zeo: It's coming... eventually.**

 **Thank you all for the reviews. It definitely makes writing this a whole lot easier to get them. And hopefully this ended up being worth the long wait for you guys.**

 **Anyway, disclaimer time!: I own nothing but Niuhi Lincoln and the original idea for this fic. Keemia and all related characters are property of Marvel Comics and therefore Disney (I am... inevitable *Fails to snap*). Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros, and yes this includes the Vertigo stuff.**

 **And now, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Northern India – September 10th, 14:43 IST**

A dense, muggy air hung close to the ground all through the rainforests of northern India, and coupled with the high heat of the midday sun, it made for an uncomfortable trek through the jungle. But for Gotham City mayor Hamilton Hill, it was all worth it so long as he nabbed his prize. The man might have put up a charitable and responsible front, but in reality, he was just as corrupt as most other politicians from Gotham were.

The mayor's main vice lay in his enjoyment of illegal hunting. The man had been on most of the big hunts for game and had claimed some very impressive, and illegal, trophies from it. However, up until now, he had somehow not managed to go hunting for tigers, a mistake that he was all too eager to rectify.

The real hard part for him was finding a guide willing to take him into the prime hunting ground. For a few weeks now there had been reports from the locals of oddities in these forests, with larger and more aggressive animals. The mayor paid them no mind. After all, what was an animal compared to a carbine rifle?

No, the struggle was finding guides who had the lack of morals necessary for this. Until recently, No one wanted to take him out after the endangered predator. The greatest offence to come from this was when a notorious hunter from Kenya actually dared to strike him across the face for such an "offensive" offer, insisting that the mayor was scum for even considering it.

'Stupid Congo Bill… you would have made a pretty penny for taking me out here…' The mayor inwardly scoffed. His new compatriots for the expedition weren't exactly the type of people he would have preferred to deal with, but in this game, beggars can't be choosers.

After a few miles of hiking, Hill had finally come across a sign of his quarry. Bending close to the ground, he examined a patch of dirt that held a large, fresh paw print. "Indian Tiger print, boys." He said with a smirk. "I told you Hamilton Hill didn't need any superstitious guide to lead us to big game," he boasted with a laugh, completely opting to ignore the tireless search he had just days before for a guide willing to take him into these forests.

"Devil beasts, ha!" Hill laughed before standing up again and creeping further through the brush. All around them, the sound of birds slowly quieted, but Hill was used to this. It was common for birds to go silent in the presence of a predator, and today Hamilton Hill was the perfect predator.

Just a few metres ahead, Hill and his compatriots came to the edge of a small embankment that overlooked a large clearing in the forest. The expansive clearing was filled with tall grass, and in the middle lay one large tree. Perched up in the lower branches was a large, male Bengal Tiger.

Hill inwardly congratulated himself as he took out his rifle, aiming carefully at the large cat as it slowly descended from the tree to the grass below. The tiger didn't get much further than that, however, as three metal pylons suddenly erupted from the ground, in a triangular shape around the tiger.

Hill gasped faintly in surprise as the pylons seemed to emit a sort of strong energy field around his quarry. The tiger gave a roar of indignation before collapsing on the ground in a dead faint.

"What is that?" one of the other hunters asked, stunned by the technology.

"Who cares? I just made my quota." Hill grinned as he aimed his rifle again. Nothing was going to stop him now. Not the Indian government, not Thomas Blake and his ridiculous defence of large wild cats, and certainly not metal pylons. The unconscious tiger was simply an easier target. Though, Hill would have the tiger stuffed and mounted in a more dynamic pose. It would make for a much more interesting story.

Before he could pull the trigger, a growl from the bushes behind the men distracted him. The three turned around, expecting to be confronted by another large animal. What they found, was the barrel of a minigun pointing through the bushes and aimed right at them. Slowly, the owner of the gun stepped forward, his weapon still trained on the poachers, revealing himself to be a large gorilla. The gorilla had several ammunition belts strapped to its body, and it made several heavy and threatening grunts at the men.

Hill suddenly made a run for safety, while his compatriots were too stunned to move. Then, the gorilla roared in fury as the barrel of the gun started to spin, and the weapon opened fire.

Their screams could be heard for miles.

* * *

 **Mount Justice – September 23** **rd** **, 06:34 EDT**

With the cave confirmed empty of any more lingering android threats, the League immediately set to rebuilding and mending the damage caused by the surprise attack. John Stewart had gathered Guy Gardner and the newest Lantern recruit Jessica Cruz to set about lifting the larger pieces of stone, rubble, and metal that were unsalvageable. Shazam moved to help Longshadow with setting a new generator in place of the one Robin fried when Artemis enacted the EMP.

Martian Manhunter and Captain Atom worked with Shocker to rewire all of the circuitry, while Sphere circled around them, beeping in an almost curious fashion.

"Heh, see somethin' you like, little critter?" Shocker asked, bemused, while Martian Manhunter gave it a gentle pat with a smile. Immediately after, he returned to his keyboard, while Shocker and Captain Atom finished with the last of their repairs. There was a quiet rumbling before the computer's voice reactivated.

" _Synchronizing key security protocols with Watchtower mainframe._ " The automated voice of the computer said as the security was once again online in the cave.

While their technology was slowly getting back to normal, the team themselves was a whole other story entirely. The entire time that they had been at the cave since the League had arrived, each member of the team had stuck together, not once leaving their friend' sides. Apparently, losing Tornado had hit them all harder than they'd thought.

Barry sighed for what had felt like the millionth time that morning as he set his head down on the table the rest of the team was standing around. A dull impact in front of him called his attention, as he noticed Green Arrow had set a bowl of pretzels in front of him.

"Thanks, but no thanks," the young speedster sighed, not wanting to be placated cheaply by food.

"Yeah, what we want are answers, about Red Tornado and his siblings." Robin nodded, his frustration clearly evident.

"Exactly!" Barry chimed back in. Arrow stared at the two impassively before moving to retake the bowl. Barry saw the motion and took the bowl from his hands. "Leave the bowl." He said, before eagerly eating a handful of the pretzels.

"Nice to see your priorities are in line, Barry." Niuhi snarked, rolling her eyes while Ace cast a worried glance to Keemia. She and Kaldur had stepped aside from the group and were currently talking to Batman about the events of the previous night. Their body language was very clearly guarded, almost like they almost didn't trust talking to anyone.

She wasn't the only one who had noticed, as Superboy's own attention turned to the conversation the three were having. While he was normally against spying on his own team, his own curiosity was starting to get the best of him.

He cocked his head ever so slightly, before focusing to pick up the conversation.

"… It was during the Taipei mission with Red Arrow." Kaldur said. "Sportsmaster revealed the possibility of a mole within the team."

"We hadn't believed it at the time due to his lack of reliability, but we couldn't deny the possibility," Keemia added, folding her arms as she looked away.

Kaldur nodded at her words. "Indeed. In light of last night's attack, Tornado would appear to be the traitor." He surmised. "But whether he betrayed us willingly, or was preprogrammed to, is still-"

"You knew?!" Superboy yelled, cutting Kaldur off before he rushed forwards. He grasped Kaldur by his collar before slamming him into the wall roughly, blowing past Keemia in the process. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'Gann!"

"Conner, what are you doing?" M'Gann asked, shocked by the clone's actions as she flew over, the others close behind.

"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us, and said nothing!" He scowled before looking to Keemia with a look of outrage and betrayal. "And so did Keemia."

"You knew?" Robin asked in shock as Kid Flash looked between the two of them.

"And you didn't tell us?" Barry added.

"We sought to protect the team from-" Kaldur started before being cut off by Artemis.

"Protect us from what?" the archer asked indignantly. "Knowledge that might have saved our lives?"

"That's not it at all!" Keemia scoffed.

"Oh really? Sure didn't look like it when half of us almost drowned, and half of us were almost burned alive!" Barry chimed in again as he rounded on Keemia.

"Hey, in case you missed it, I was in the same boat you were!" Keemia defended.

"How does that make it any better?" Niuhi asked with a frown. "You were still keeping secrets from us."

"Something you're clearly accustomed to," Artemis added as she folded her arms defiantly while glaring at Keemia.

"Do not blame Keemia for any of this, I ordered her to keep silent. She wanted to tell you." Kaldur cut in, calling their attention back to him.

"Kal-" Keemia started before Kaldur shook his head.

"Don't," he said simply.

"So you stopped her from telling us? So you could make yourself feel better?" Superboy asked, before looking to M'Gann. "You almost died!"

"Enough." Batman's voice said, shocking the team out of their stupor as they turned to look at the Dark Knight. Batman's eyes had narrowed into his infamous bat-glare until Conner reluctantly released Kaldur from his grip. Jason was silent as he pondered everything, while Ashley simply stood next to Keemia, her face impassive.

"With Red Tornado… missing… the team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors." Batman explained while Green Arrow and Black Canary stood next to him. "Shazam has volunteered to take the first shift."

The hero in question walked over, looking to the team with a grin. "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."

The team looked amongst each other, unsure of how to proceed. Robin and Kid Flash stood off to the side near Keemia, seemingly placated by the notion that she was insistent on telling them. But there was still an evident distrust of Kaldur as Conner levelled a glare to the Atlantean.

"After I dismantle Red Tornado, you and I are gonna—" he started, before Batman cut him off.

"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes him a League responsibility. You _will_ leave him to us." He insisted, not leaving any room for an argument. After Conner gave a reluctant nod, he turned before activating the holoscreen to show various news reports. "I have another assignment for this team."

The various newspapers displayed articles about a heavily armed gorilla terrorizing Northern India, coupled with a final clip that featured an interview from Hamilton Hill. "Tch, "Gotham Mayor Attacked by Guerilla Gorilla"?" Barry scoffed while the others looked at Batman in disbelief.

' _Was this the only thing he could find to distract us?'_ Conner asked indignantly, using his telepathic link with M'Gann.

"Batman, please tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a wild ape chase!" Robin urged while the others seemed to convey similar sentiment.

"I _never_ joke about the mission," Batman countered, his tone deathly serious. That humbled Robin enough that he backed down, while the others were still unsure. "I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents."

"Is there any other insight you can give us here?" Keemia asked with a frown. "A rogue black ops gorilla, while strange, is still fairly vague."

"Unfortunately, reports are sparse. Either the witnesses can't remember anything else, or they aren't alive to talk." Batman said, once again silencing their questions. Clearly, this was more serious than they realized. "Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India, and check this out," Batman said to the Atlantean, who nodded once in understanding.

"Hmph, "Your team"." Barry scoffed as he and Robin pushed past Kaldur, with the others close behind.

"You didn't have to take the fall for me Kal. I should be suffering with you." Keemia murmured quietly.

"No. I would much prefer it if only one of us were doubted here. I'm sure they'll be mindful enough to listen to orders, but we still need some semblance of leadership out there. Since you're my second-in-command, it will have to fall to you." Kaldur said, his tone morose.

Keemia seemed put off by this answer but didn't say anything else as they entered the hangar and approached the Bioship. Sphere rolled after Conner, intent on following him, only for the clone to halt it with his hand.

"Uh-uh, go." He ordered, shooing it away. The Sphere rolled past Shazam, who landed next to Robin with a grin.

"You're coming with?" Robin asked.

"Sure! We'll have a blast." He grinned before entering the ship, while Robin and Kid Flash watched him skeptically.

"Translation: he blames us for the Red fiasco." Robin scowled.

"Puh-lease Pigeon. He's way too naive for that." Keemia countered as she entered the ship.

"But Batman isn't. And he clearly doesn't trust us." Robin retorted, just as Aqualad arrived.

"It's a big club," Barry mused, fixing one last glare at Kaldur before he too entered the ship. Kaldur stared after his team before internally sighing. This was going to be a long mission.

* * *

 **Northern India – September 23** **rd** **, 21:36 IST**

In the dark of the night, the rainforests below the Bioship seemed eerily tranquil, no hints of any strange activity. Looks can be deceiving, however, and so the Bioship was kept under its cloaking device as it slowed in its flight, hovering above the trees. A port in the bottom of the ship opened, as Robin leapt out, closely followed by Artemis and Red Hood.

The three used grappling lines to lower themselves to the ground safety before they drew their weapons and took point in the clearing. Once they found it to be safe, Red Hood made a motion to the ship as it landed before releasing the rest of the team, and their Justice League tag-along.

"All clear," Robin reported as Hood nodded.

"Infrared is negative so far. No sign of foul play."

"Switch to stealth," Aqualad ordered, activating the stealth mode in his costume. "And we'll review mission parameters."

"Parameters?" Barry scoffed as he switched to stealth mode. "We don't need no stinkin' parameters."

"It's recon. We know what to do." Robin nodded before the two turned to wander into the forest.

"Kid, Robin…" Kaldur called.

The two stopped before turning to Kaldur, still glaring at him. "The four of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from us!"

"Or, did you forget that like you forgot to tell us about the mole?" Barry finished before pulling his goggles on as the two disappeared into the jungle.

Kaldur watched them run off before Niuhi called his attention next. "You know, I might have been here the shortest, but I kind of thought that being a part of a team would make me privy to all the information." She scowled before cracking her knuckles. "Glad to see even the veterans were left hanging out to dry." She shook her head before running into the bush as well.

"Don't worry about it, I'll keep an eye on her!" Red Hood called, before drawing his pistols and running after Niuhi.

Conner nodded at that before grasping M'Gann's hand. "Come on, I'll keep you safe."

M'Gann tore her hand away from his grip, surprising Conner as she cast him a scathing glare. _'You're my boyfriend Conner, not my keeper. Stop behaving like a character from a seventies sitcom.'_ She scolded him telepathically.

"I just… wanna protect you." He stammered out.

"Like Aqualad protected us?" Artemis mused. "I'm not sure your protection or your patronizing is good for our health." She continued, jabbing Conner in the chest with her bow before she and M'Gann made their own path into the jungle.

Conner stared after the two before whirling to Kaldur. "Why didn't you stop them? You're supposed to be in charge!" he yelled.

"I am…" Kaldur started before Conner held a hand out to silence him. Then, the clone leapt off into the jungle alone.

Shazam finally finished processing everything that happened before he looked to Kaldur with a frown. "Um, did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?"

"No, you didn't. Everyone else has just decided that thinking logically is for chumps." Keemia huffed.

"I'm sorry about them Kaldur. If it's any consolation, we're ready to listen." Ashley offered.

Kaldur considered the offer for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it is fine. Just establish a link for the four of us. Then we can search on our own."

"You're really giving up that easy Kal? Are you sure you don't want me to yell at them?" Keemia offered, half-jokingly.

"I am sure… but thank you." He said, trying to force a brave face before the two final girls disappeared into the undergrowth reluctantly, their telepathic link set. Kaldur closed the Bioship with a sigh before he sedately led Shazam into the jungle.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a figure had arrived in the bushes not long after the others had left, and was watching them with dark red eyes before it too vanished.

* * *

While the team trekked through the vast rainforest, the tranquility seemed to clash with the tension they all felt. Whether this was due to the uncertainty of the mission ahead, or their lack of trust in Kaldur had yet to be determined. Still, with the relative ease so far, it made it easier for the team to focus on investigating.

After nearly twenty minutes of walking, Kaldur and Shazam finally came across a large clearing littered with bullet casings. They were heavy calibre, and they were scattered through the grass, along with boot prints, and what seemed to be gorilla tracks.

"Guess this is where Mayor Hill's 'monkey business' went down." Shazam mused as he carefully examined the ground, holding one of the casings between his fingers. He dropped it back to the ground before standing up and looking to Kaldur for confirmation. "So at least we've confirmed his story, right?"

Kaldur didn't seem to hear him, however, and stumbled forward almost in a trance. "Uh, Aqualad?" Shazam repeated, taking the teen out of his stupor.

"My apologies, Shazam. I am… plagued by doubts," he admitted, looking off to the side. "Perhaps I was wrong to withhold."

Before Shazam could reply with any advice, the two suddenly heard a massive rush of noise crashing through the undergrowth off to their left. Heavy, impactful footsteps echoed through the jungle as birds panicked and flew out of the treetops, clearly attempting to avoid whatever was coming. The two heroes stood their ground, ready to leap into action. Aqualad noticed numerous rocks on the ground shaking from the impacts that drew ever closer.

Finally, with one last cacophonous crash, a bull elephant charged through the trees into the clearing. Something was clearly wrong with the animal though, its tusks were jagged and appeared to splinter like branches. It was twice its normal size, with a mane of hair over its shoulders. The clearest indication of foul play, however, was the massive tears in its leathery skin, showing the muscle underneath. This elephant looked like it had gone through the same process Mammoth had.

It charged the two heroes as Shazam flew into the air to meet it head on, crashing into the elephant with his shoulder as he tried to push it back. Much to his surprise, the beast seemed almost unfazed as it grasped him with its trunk and flung the Leaguer away through a nearby tree trunk until he rolled to a stop in the bushes.

Aqualad looked on in horror before a second elephant entered the clearing, this one mutated in the same way as the first. Kaldur quickly rolled to avoid their footfalls, even as they relentlessly chased him. Shazam slowly rose to his feet, hearing a soft growling as he noticed a tiger watching him. He wasn't able to do much before Aqualad was knocked in front of him by one of the enraged elephants. Shazam stood quickly before turning around as the elephant seemed to survey its handiwork. It then gave a low trumpeting bellow as it charged again.

* * *

Elsewhere in the jungle, Conner made his way through the bush, thoroughly frustrated and looking for an excuse to let off some steam. Kaldur's withheld information struck a nerve with him, and he wasn't quite sure which hurt him more; that Kaldur apparently didn't trust him or the team to know, or that it nearly killed M'Gann in the process.

M'Gann… that was another thing frustrating him. All he wanted to do was be able to protect his girlfriend, and after their near escape from danger the night before, he felt he had every right to protect her right now. He had all this power and yet he was still weak. Even then, M'Gann refused his help earlier. What was going on? He bet Superman never had these problems. Superman, yet another problem to be solved. Yet another obstacle to Conner being happy. Why couldn't he just accept him, or even talk to him openly? And not in his usual hostile fashion. Conner wanted to be accepted by his, for lack of a better term, father. Keemia's family accepting him went a long way to fixing it, but it still wasn't the same. And now all Conner had were his own thoughts and the suddenly silent jungle.

The attack came from the left.

A sudden blur of fur and fangs slammed into Conner, attempting to knock him to the ground. Conner easily knocked his attacker away, finding it to be a wolf. This wolf seemed bigger than normal, though, and more aggressive. Around its neck were the same collars from Belle Reve Penitentiary. He didn't have long to process this though as another wolf attacked him from behind and forced him on the ground.

He punched it away before being attacked by two more from the side, as the whole pack surrounded him. He fought a war on all fronts, trying to stop each one from getting too close. On a cliff face above him, a lone white wolf watched the others work; the pack's alpha male.

* * *

"So you really had no clue about this mole? I thought you were supposed to be third in command or something?" Niuhi asked indignantly as she and Jason cut their way through the jungle, the former with claws of ice and the latter with his trench knives.

"I'm telling you, I had no clue. Don't go giving me any crap about it either. Apparently, they learned about this while protecting the Rhelasian peace conference. Which, if you remember, I wasn't present for. Hell, you weren't even on our team for that." Jason snarked.

"So why aren't you mad then? You're in the chain of command, you should know even before we do!"

"Because it doesn't do us any good to jump the gun like that."

"What do you mean?" Niuhi asked in confusion.

"They had their reason for not telling us, clearly. So let's be reasonable; how would a mole remain hidden?"

"By no one knowing they exist." She answered simply.

"Now what happened to M'Gann when your mom found out she was a mole back in Belle Reve?" he asked, ignoring her glare.

"She was attacked instantly." Niuhi scowled, hating the memory.

"Right. Now that was because they knew who the mole was. But what happens now if Kaldur reports a mole on the team, but we don't know who the mole is? We would presumably be told all at once, but what happens then?"

"The mole gets tipped off… and then they can hide themselves… or blame someone else!" she said in realization.

"Exactly!" Jason nodded. "I trusted Kaldur's judgment to say nothing because it was the safest play. What if the mole was informed that he knew? They might have forced their hand, even succeeded in killing one of us."

"How do you know all this stuff? This strategy, I mean." She asked, significantly calmer now that Jason had allowed her to see reason.

"I spent a few months waging a one-man war on crime. After a while, you pick up how criminals think. And if one wanted to stay hidden from us, they would have to stay pretty underhanded if someone knew." He mused, leaning against a tree. "You gotta think fast if you want to survive the underworld of Goth-"

He was suddenly cut off as a massive buffalo charged in from the bushes behind him, crashing into Jason and knocking him across the ground.

"Jason!" Niuhi called out before looking to the buffalo with a scowl. "You're gonna pay for that!" she roared before charging the buffalo head on and grappling with its horns. This buffalo was far bigger than normal, nearly twice the size and its muscles were so swollen that they ripped through the skin. Despite Niuhi's strength, it soon overpowered her, forcing her down onto the ground as it dragged her along the forest floor.

Jason was on his feet again quickly as he drew his pistols before firing several rounds of rubber bullets at the buffalo. The projectiles bounced harmlessly off of its skin, but they still grabbed his attention. It pawed at the ground, before giving a deep bellow and charging at Jason.

"Oh, I should have thought that through more…." He muttered before it was suddenly halted just inches from hitting him, as Niuhi had grabbed it by the haunches and was pulling it back.

"I'm not done with you yet!" she roared as the tattoo on her back glowed a bright blue, the light soon spread to her eyes and veins. Her muscles and height swelled by a few inches, as her strength seemed to double and she easily threw the buffalo away and into a large tree.

"Whoa! What the hell was that?" Jason asked in surprise as she looked down at her hands while the glow faded away.

"I… I don't know…" she admitted before a grunting noise alerted them to the buffalo getting up again.

"We need to take it down fast. Think you can dodge when I tell you to?" Jason asked as he took stock of the large tree behind them.

"Absolutely," she nodded as the buffalo rushed them again. The two teens stood their ground, waiting for the right moment. Finally, Jason drew his pistols again and shot at the eyes of the buffalo. They proved to be far more vulnerable as the animal was momentarily blinded, but continued to rush towards them.

"Now!" he yelled as they each dove off to the side while the buffalo continued head-on into the tree, unable to see them. The force of the head on impact left the great animal stunned, but Jason wasn't gonna take a chance. "Freeze it!" he ordered before Niuhi summoned a blast of ice to freeze the animal in a block that left its head exposed.

"Well… that was something…" Niuhi panted while Jason fell to the ground, feeling his pain now as the adrenaline slowly left him.

"Yeah… bet you everyone else is doing worse." He smirked before Niuhi cuffed him upside the head gently and they continued on their way.

* * *

Both Robin and Kid Flash had remained relatively silent throughout their trek in the undergrowth of the jungle. But their frustration with their leader was still very palpable, and both teens were wearing a deep chip in their shoulders because of it. While at first, they were equally as mad at Keemia, finding out that she had wanted to tell them but was overruled helped to curb their tempers.

After all, she had wanted to keep them in the loop. It was only Kaldur who had stopped her, and clearly because he was leader he used some sort of "hierarchical privilege" to keep her quiet. That had to be it. Otherwise, Keemia would have just told them anyway. She was stubborn like that.

Regardless of their anger, they were still able to focus on their work while in the jungle. Despite numerous animal tracks that they had encountered in their journey, they still had found no signs of any gorilla. After a few minutes of fruitless search, the two decided to climb up a small cliff face in order to give themselves a height advantage as they surveyed their surroundings.

It was from this lookout position that they heard a screeching call from the sky behind them. They turned to find three vultures circling overhead before dive-bombing the two teens. Robing and Kid Flash quickly dove out of the way of their talons before moving to retreat.

"Thought vultures only ate dead meat!" Robin snarked as he threw several of his explosive discs at the birds before him and Kid Flash started running away from their avian pursuers.

"Yeah, these are some very proactive scavengers!" Barry agreed, noting that the vultures seemed to be larger than normal.

"Proactive and super-sized." Robin continued, ducking to avoid another dive from the vultures. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Kobra-Venom?" Barry asked.

"Yeah!" Tim nodded before the two dove out of the way of yet another diving attack.

* * *

"What really gets me about this whole thing, is that if we knew, we might have been able to find them ourselves!" Artemis said, continuing a long-winded rant that she had been subjecting M'Gann to since they started their search.

"Perhaps. I mean I agree with you, don't get me wrong, but don't you think you're being a little overzealous?" M'Gann asked. Seeing Artemis' bewildered face, she clarified. "I'm angry at Kaldur too, okay? But at the same time, it really doesn't help us to be this focused on it. We have a mission to take care of."

Artemis pondered her words, seemingly agreeing with her. "Yeah… I guess you're right…"

"I think you're actually angrier about this than the others are." M'Gann mused. "Besides, who do you think the mole would be if it weren't Tornado?"

Artemis thought for a moment before frowning. "Ace."

"Ace?! Why her?" M'Gann asked in shock.

"I just… I don't trust her." Artemis admitted. "She told us herself that she accidentally hears our thoughts. That just makes it easier for her to get information."

"But Ace also helped us retrieve our memories in Bialya after we lost them. And she helped you and Robin to save our lives when the two Reds attacked us last night, remember?" M'Gann pointed out as the two emerged from the jungle to walk along a river bank.

"Yeah, I remember." Artemis huffed, looking away. Suddenly, a massive crocodile burst from the river and lunged at M'Gann. Its scaly skin was torn to reveal the muscle underneath, and it easily dwarfed any normal member of its species as it attempted to devour the Martian. M'Gann was ready though, as she used her telekinesis to force it back, halting its movements.

Artemis climbed a log perched over the water before drawing an arrow from her bow, ready to help her teammate. Before she could fire, another large crocodile burst from the water below her log, destroying the rotten wood and clamping its jaws down on her quiver before it fell into the river with a screaming Artemis in tow.

Once in the water, the crocodile began its infamous death roll, however, with the quiver in its mouth, it only succeeded in leaving Artemis out of breath and dizzy. Seeing her teammate in trouble, M'Gann dove into the water, before swimming to Artemis and opening the buckle on her quiver's strap, allowing the archer to swim free.

Sensing that its prey had fled, the crocodile soon turned its attention to M'Gann and dove at it with eager jaws. M'Gann, however, used a massive burst of telekinesis to throw the gigantic reptile out of the river and into the jungle as she forced the water in the river to part away from her an Artemis, leaving the two girls in a dry circle of ground, surrounded by water.

Artemis coughed and sputter violently as soon as she was in the open air, before weakly sitting up from her position on the exposed riverbed. "Okay… nearly drowning two nights in a row, is way less fun than it sounds." She huffed, grabbing her quiver while M'Gann sighed in relief before gently lifting Artemis towards the riverbank and to safety.

* * *

"Okay, the silence is honestly really freaking me out right now," Keemia said, her eyes switching between watching the surrounding forest and watching Ashley walking in front of her. Ever since they had parted ways with Aqualad and Shazam, the two girls had proceeded forward through the brush in pure silence.

There was no hint of conversation, and that freaked Keemia out even more. A quiet Ace was a dangerous Ace, and she was the only one who hadn't said anything regarding the mole situation since it was revealed.

Keemia grimaced lightly before moving in front of Ace and folding her arms. "Listen, I understand if you're mad at us about the mole but you not saying anything is not helping me to feel any less anxious."

Ashley looked at her with her piercing eyes, the same ones that could stare right through your soul while she carefully searched your thoughts. After what felt like an agonizingly long time under her gaze, Ashley finally gave a little giggle before hugging Keemia. "Sorry about that. It was just funny to watch you freak out. I think Mrs. Waller might be rubbing off on me a little too much."

Keemia blinked in surprise before sputtering indignantly. "You freaked me out on purpose… just for a cheap laugh?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She nodded before Keemia huffed and looked away with a pout that was mostly bravado. Ashley rolled her eyes slightly before gently cupping Keemia's cheek. "Keemia… I'm not mad at you two about the mole. I've known this whole time."

"You have? You never said anything!" Keemia exclaimed.

"I didn't have to. I heard Aqualad's thoughts by accident, his anxiety over the whole situation. I also heard his reasoning for it. Honestly, that's why I haven't said anything; because he was right." Ace explained. "Unfortunately, I think his own fears about it might have come true as well."

"Yeah… they definitely did. Too bad no one felt like talking. Otherwise, they might have proven weak when put against common sense." Keemia scowled before pausing. She listened closely to the jungle as all the ambient noise ended. The sign of a predator. "Ashley…" she whispered quietly.

"Yeah, I caught it." Her girlfriend nodded, sensing Keemia's thoughts on the situation as the two took defensive stances.

"Question remains, what exactly is it?" Keemia asked before a massive python suddenly dove from the trees, aiming to strike at Keemia.

"I think that answers your question!" Ace exclaimed before using her telekinesis to hurl the massive snake away.

"Alright, it's a big python. Bigger than normal?" Keemia asked while Ashley grimaced.

"Bigger than anything in the fossil record. This has to be sixty feet long!" the telekinetic exclaimed before the two dodged out of the way from another strike. "We need to slow it down somehow, its thoughts are too cluttered for me to do anything with my telepathy."

"I got just the thing for that, whoa!" Keemia gasped as she dodged a swipe from the snake's massive tail. "Hope you brought your thermal underwear; **Pord eht dnuorg erutarepmet to orezbus!** " she called before pressing her hands on the ground.

Frost spread from her fingertips, racing along the forest floor as it coated the soil below the snake, which Ace held in place with her telekinesis to stop it from thrashing or retreating. After a few minutes, the snake's motions died down as the cold made it sluggish. Finally, it fell over into a forced hibernation as the two girls stopped to examine it.

"Whatever made it this big wasn't healthy, just look at it." Ace said as she pointed out spots on the snake's body where the scales were torn open. "Its muscles were exposed by rupturing the body from the inside."

"I've seen that before, on Santa Prisca." Keemia frowned thoughtfully. "Someone must have dosed this snake with Kobra-Venom."

"Who would do that though?" Ace asked.

"I'm not sure… but I doubt we're the only ones with animal trouble right now." Keemia said before the two girls nodded to each other and took off into the jungle again.

* * *

Robin and Kid Flash continued to run through the jungle, dodging fallen trees and ducking through the branches as the Kobra-Venom vultures continued to chase them down. While the massive birds couldn't get through the canopy, the boys didn't have suitable room to move unless they were in the open air. Robin split off from Kid Flash suddenly, distracting one of the vultures as the teen took to leaping through the branches. The bird flew after him, only for Robin to suddenly leap through a mass of vines. While Robin landed on the ground safely, the bird was trapped in the thick foliage, unable to get back into the air to pursue.

Meanwhile Kid Flash still had three of the birds chasing after him. Deciding to take after Robin's example, he too started rushing forwards towards a large tree. This one grew at an awkward angle though, allowing Barry to run along its trunk and into the top of the canopy.

He built up as much speed as he could before racing up the tree and running along one of the larger branches before suddenly springing off and leaping through the air towards the birds. As he soared, he swiftly tucked into a tight ball and spin rapidly to increase his momentum, striking the first Vulture with the force of a cannonball.

Once the first bird fell out of the sky, he turned his body to ricochet into the remaining two, downing them as well. With his pursuers taken care of, he rolled into the branches of another tree, before carefully returning to the ground and landing in a crouch on the ground. Robin jogged over to meet him, and the two friends let out a short laugh as they stood up to catch their breaths.

"Man, I'd hate for PETA to see what happened here." Barry laughed.

"What we did, or what our mystery villain did?" Robin asked as Barry took a moment to think.

"Good point."

* * *

Superboy's fight with the wolves had proven to be far more painful than the clone was expecting. The predators had clearly been juiced on Kobra-Venom, and with their increased strength also came an increased ability to harm him. Their teeth could now just barely break his skin, and their claws left numerous scathing marks along his body, tearing his shirt in the process.

Despite the pain of their numerous attacks, Superboy still fought through. As one clamped its jaws down in his shoulder, Superboy would throw it through a tree, violently breaking the trunk as the animal crumpled to the ground. When another jumped at him, he simply punched it into the ground, eliciting a whimper from it.

With the pack now either unconscious or cowering in fear, Superboy took a moment to scan for any new threats. Standing on a rock and surveying the battle was a wolf, clearly larger than the others, and with a snow white coat. It was the pack's alpha, and it must have been the strongest of them. Up to now, it had used the pack to test Superboy's strength. Thanks to careful its observation, it now knew Superboy to be a worthy opponent.

Superboy locked eyes with the alpha as they sized each other up. The wolf's cold gaze bore through him, but Superboy simply bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes in a dangerous snarl. Taking it as a personal challenge, the wolf snarled back while Superboy got in a combat-ready stance. After another moment to breathe, the wolf suddenly leapt from the rock, charging the clone. Not to be outdone, Superboy gave a battle cry before leaping at the advancing predator.

* * *

Despite Shazam's raw strength, he still made minimal impact in the battle against the massive mutated elephants. While Aqualad dodged another attack from the Bull, Shazam would charge in and punch the elephant in its shoulder, knocking it back. But as one was knocked away, the other would charge, sending Shazam flying way off into the distance with one massive swipe from its trunk.

The moment gave a moment to let out a bellowing trumpet in triumph, as Aqualad stared at the beast completely dumbfounded. At first, it was in fear, but then he noticed something. Around the elephant's neck was a sparking collar, the same kind of collar that the prisoners of Belle Reve wore to keep them in line.

Suddenly, Kaldur knew what to do as he drew his water bearers. Leaping out of the way of the elephant's colossal feet, he landed between its legs before jumping into the air and grasping the collar with two tendrils of water. Giving a defiant roar, he planted his feet on the elephant's chest before launching away, tearing the collar off with him as he went.

The effect was instantaneous as the elephant blinked a few times before its anger slowly faded, and it returned to its normal docile nature. Kaldur gave a small nod before turning to Shazam, ready to relay the discovery. "Remove the collar!" he called to the Leaguer, who hovered above the bull to avoid its trunk.

"On it!" Shazam nodded before diving down, avoiding another strike from the elephant. Flying into its blind spot, he rushed in the before pulling the collar off of it and dropping the device on the ground. The elephant had mounted onto its hind legs for its attack and as such, dropped back to all fours, crushing the collar underfoot as it did.

Much like the first, the bull elephant would also feel its mind return to it. With their anger faded away, the two elephants walked away into the jungle, leaving the heroes in peace. Kaldur watched the two, feeling immense pity for the creatures while Shazam flew down to land next to him.

"Pretty sweet the way you figured out the problem was the collars." Shazam complimented, while Kaldur simply frowned.

"But the collars indicate an intelligence behind this attack." Kaldur mused. "The rest of the team may also be at risk. Team, report status." Kaldur said instinctively, pressing a finger to his communicator before hissing at the screech of feedback he received. "Ugh. Comm is jammed, and Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we split up."

Shazam gave Kaldur a pointed look. "Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set."

"They would not listen!" Kaldur argued while Shazam gave him a bemused, lopsided grin, clearly ready to take advantage of the teaching opportunity.

"I guess. But back at the cave, Batman stopped everyone from arguing with one word." He pointed out, while Kaldur slumped in defeat.

"Because Batman is... Batman."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me." Shazam laughed. "When I first joined the League, all he did was boss me around. And it's hard not to take it personally. But… I never disobeyed an order, and that's probably what kept me alive."

Kaldur frowned slightly before suddenly nodding in understanding. "Batman takes command. He has to, for the good of the League. Thank you for helping me understand."

"Hey, Wisdom of Solomon." Shazam nodded back, pointing at his head for emphasis.

' _Aqualad, can you hear me?'_ M'Gann suddenly called out telepathically.

' _Yes, Miss Martian, report.'_ He sent back.

' _Artemis and I were attacked by animals wearing inhibitor collars, like those used on convicts at Belle Reve prison.'_ She warned, confirming Aqualad's suspicions as the team leader nodded.

Shazam meanwhile, was observing their surroundings carefully in case another animal showed up, before suddenly grinning as he caught a flash of orange stripes. "Cool, the tiger! I'll be right back!" he said before rushing off.

"Shazam, wait!" Kaldur called before groaning as the hero was now too far away to hear him. After a moment, he scoffed before rolling his eyes. "Hey, Speed of Mercury," Kaldur snarked, before following the Leaguer on foot at a more measured pace, formulating his thoughts on what to tell the team.

* * *

While the tiger ran through the bushes, it occasionally let out a groan of pain as the collar on its neck sparked and shocked. It slowed to a stopped before turning around as Shazam caught up with it. It watched the hero with careful eyes, unsure of what to do with its new pursuer. It let out a warning growl while Shazam held out his hands, attempting to placate the large cat.

"Hey there, mister." Shazam greeted, landing on the ground. "Bet you'd like good ol' Billy to take that nasty collar off ya, huh?"

The tiger took a careful step back, but lowered its head slowly, seeming to understand Shazam's intention. Suddenly, another shock would tear through the tiger's body as three large pylons emerged from the ground around Shazam. The tiger recognized these as the same ones that had rendered it unconscious several days earlier.

Shazam looked at the pylons in alarm before a field of energy suddenly seized his body, forcing him to the ground. As he looked around weakly, quickly losing consciousness, he saw the form of a large gorilla wearing ammo belts and a red beret dropping down from the tree above. The gorilla looked at the fallen Leaguer before roaring in triumph and beating its chest.

* * *

"At least I kept all of my arrows this time…" Artemis grumbled under her breath as she poured the water out of her now recovered quiver. While the girls might have escaped the mutated crocodiles, they were still incredibly wary of their surroundings, both tensing for anything to jump out at them without warning.

M'Gann gave a quick nod to Artemis, placing her hands on her hips as she considered what happened. The animals that attacked them had Belle Reve collars on, so someone clearly set them up on purpose. But whether they were to attack the team, or to guard something against them remained to be seen.

' _Miss Martian, Ace, I need a telepathic link up with the entire team, now.'_ Aqualad telepathically contacted the two girls before they set to work from different parts of the jungle.

' _Link established.'_ Miss Martian said with a small smile.

' _We're all online Aqualad,'_ Ace confirmed as she and Keemia continued trekking through the brush.

' _Should you really still be giving us orders?'_ Artemis asked Kaldur indignantly. ' _And should you really be following them?'_ she asked M'Gann, as the Martian girl simply rolled her eyes. While Kaldur might have withheld the information, he was still their leader. And he could still give them orders.

' _Last I checked, the jury was still out on that.'_ Niuhi chimed in.

' _Hey, I thought we talked about this.'_ Jason scowled while Niuhi simply gave him a sheepish shrug.

' _Sorry, guess I'm still a little mad.'_

' _Listen, please.'_ Kaldur urged them.

' _Oh good, Aqualad's voice in my head. I've so missed that.'_ Barry drawled sarcastically as he and Robin exchanged glances.

' _Hey Kaldur, KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. 'Course, since we're moles, you probably think we attacked ourselves.'_ Robin added, rolling his eyes.

' _If he did, he wouldn't tell you._ ' Artemis remarked, fastening her quiver to her back again.

' _I can't believe you guys. You're acting like children._ ' Keemia growled.

' _Oh don't go thinking you're off the hook entirely. You're still on thin ice with us.'_ Barry countered.

' _Well, I'm two minutes away from drowning you in what's under that ice Barry!'_ Keemia yelled, causing the speedster to flinch fearfully.

While the others were arguing, M'Gann folded her arms in annoyance. ' _Superboy, are you online or just pouting?'_ she asked the clone.

There was a short silence before Conner answered. ' _Busy… call back later!'_ he struggled to say as he fought off the alpha wolf that was currently biting into his shoulder from behind. He attempted to grasp the wolf's head before it suddenly threw him away into a rock.

' _What gets me, is how nonchalant he is about not telling us,'_ Kid Flash continued to rant. At this point, Kaldur had reached the pylons where Shazam was captured by the gorilla. Emerging from the bushes, he noted the imprint of a man's body, gorilla footprints leading away from the pylons, and clear evidence of someone being dragged.

' _He should be chalant. Way chalant. EXTREMELY chalant.'_ Robin determined.

' _Of all the times to pick a new word to butcher, it had to be now?!'_ Keemia groaned _._

' _I think we're losing track of what's really important here."_ Ace said with a frown.

' _That Robin should have waited for a better target instead of wasting the opportunity on low hanging fruit?'_ Jason mused before cuffed upside the head by Niuhi.

Kaldur rolled his eyes with a sigh as they continued to bicker. He tried desperately to ignore them, but it was slowly becoming too much. Their insistence on not trusting him, fighting amongst themselves over that fact, and distracting him from the new priority of finding Shazam was quickly weighing on his patience.

' _How can we be a team if he doesn't trust us with his secrets?'_ Artemis asked.

' _Or if Conner doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves?'_ M'Gann said, finally venting her own frustrations.

' _That's a random one… did I miss something once I left?'_ Jason asked.

' _Trust me, I was there for it, and I still don't get why it's coming up now.'_ Keemia snarked.

' _Did he really think that you or I could have been the mole?'_ Kid Flash asked Robin.

' _We've known each other for years!'_ the boy wonder agreed.

' _Trust is a two-way street, and you know they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them!'_ M'Gann pointed out.

' _Not that we'd do that. Never.'_ Artemis added before Aqualad finally snapped.

' _Enough!'_ he yelled into the link, ripping one of the pylons from the ground in his anger. His tone alone was enough to shock everyone into silence, as they knew Kaldur to be the calmest member of the team. Angry or not, to hear him suddenly lash out left everyone speechless. ' _Shazam has been captured, and we must act as a team to save him.'_

' _Ha, under your leadership?'_ Barry laughed. ' _I don't think that-'_

' _This is not up for debate.'_ Aqualad scowled, his anger once again making everyone deathly silent. ' _You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over if you wish to select a new leader, I will happily step down. But until that time? I am in command here.'_

Throwing the now crumpled remains of the pylon to the ground, Kaldur set off into the jungle once again to regroup with the team. The time for arguments was over, and Kaldur was ready to keep his command going.

* * *

Not far away from where the team was currently regrouping, Shazam laid out unconscious on a large metal table. He stirred lightly before a soft growling slowly started to wake him up. His eyes fluttered open, his surroundings still appearing fuzzy before another growl called them into focus. All around him appeared to be numerous pieces of surgical and medical equipment

He looked off to the side and saw the same tiger from before sitting next to the table. It gave him an almost apologetic look before slowly standing up to walk away. "The brain enhancement of this… tigre… already pays dividends, non?" a voice asked from the corner of the room, its French accent thick. "For he has brought us a prize most glorious…" The figure took the opportunity to chuckle darkly as Shazam examined his bindings with a frown, unable to move his arms. "The marvelous Shazam."

"Why can't I move?" Shazam asked, trying to get a view of the chuckling villain but being able to move enough to do so.

"It is obvious, non?" the voice said again, as Shazam saw a small grasping tool reaching over numerous surgical instruments that lay on a nearby table. "Your collar is set to prohibit le movement from the neck down." The grasping tool seemed pensive about its choice before finally deciding on a small saw-like instrument. "I have allowed you to retain the power of speech, as your reactions will be instructive during la procedure."

"La procedure…? What procedure?" Shazam asked, genuinely curious as to what the voice had planned.

"I have often pondered the effect of your powers on the cerebral cortex." The voice clarified as another small tool hand-like reached out to touch a digital screen that displayed an x-ray of a brain. It picked out a few key hemispheres as copious notes for them appeared. "I long to see "le Wisdom de Solomon" up close."

"It should prove to be a most enlightening event indeed," another voice said, this time with the owner coming into view. Shazam looked at the second figure in confusion because he appeared to be a two-dimensional man made of what he supposed to be black paper. His body was strangely proportioned and he one had one eye on a bizarrely shaped face. In his chest, there was a heart-shaped hole, and he had no mouth to speak of. "But don't fret you jelly-legged justice seeker. Are we not all interesting enigmas? Are we not all proof that the universe is a drooling idiot with no fashion sense?"

"Despite my colleagues… eccentricities, he is quite correct. Now, Monsieur Nobody, please return to your vigil." The first voice ordered as the two-dimensional man seemed to dance away. "Monsieur Mallah, prepare for surgery." The voice spoke as the same gorilla that kidnapped Shazam walked out, now dressed in surgeon's scrubs, as it pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

* * *

After a few minutes to track each other down, the team was once again reunited, with the exception of the still missing Superboy. Regardless of their absent teammate, the teens still sped through the jungle before arriving at the top of a hill which overlooked a large clearing. Down at the bottom of the hill, there was a large building made of concrete and surrounded by more of the same pillars that incapacitated Shazam earlier.

Robin and Kid Flash were on lookout, with Kid Flash pulling his goggles down to inspect with his sensors for anything they might not see. Miss Martian landed nearby in a tree, under her invisibility. She and Ace used their telepathy to make sure the team could communicate silently while they got in position, as well as relaying what Kid Flash could see.

Artemis and Red Hood both took point as marksmen, drawing their bow and pistols respectively as they watched for any signs of movement. Coldsnap served as muscle nearby Aqualad, while Djinn was focused on tracking Shazam's magical essence.

' _He's definitely in there. He seems to be stuck in place though.'_ She said telepathically.

' _I'll fly over,'_ M'Gann offered.

' _Negatory,'_ Kid Flash warned as data he collected in tandem with Robin's holoscreen was used to look for weaknesses. ' _The field extends like a dome over the whole compound.'_

' _Pylons are insulated, but one good shock could cause a momentary gap.'_ Robin mused.

' _I see a target,'_ Artemis announced as she took careful aim at an electrical panel next to the door of the compound.

' _Wind speed is low, but still blowing from the northeast. Keep your aim at a thirty-degree angle to maximize our accuracy.'_ Jason advised.

' _Roger that, I'm aimed right for it.'_ Artemis nodded.

' _Then be ready to hit it,'_ Kaldur said seriously. ' _Be ready, all of you.'_

After the team exchanged an uneasy nod, Kaldur took off down the hill, careful to remain quiet as he approached the invisible barrier. Rubbings his hands together to prepare an electrical shock, he suddenly pressed them onto the barricade, flooding it with bioelectricity. He grunted under the strain, fighting with the barrier's own energy output as Kid Flash carefully monitored with his goggles, waiting for an opening. Soon enough, one appeared.

' _Now!'_ Barry called out as Artemis fired, striking the control panel with her arrow and causing the barrier surrounding the compound to shiver and fade. With the obstacle out of the way, the rest of the team continued down the hill, only for Robin to look up on the roof and see a giant monkey looking down at him.

Much like the other animals, it too was mutated by Kobra-Venom and was sporting a Belle Reve collar on its neck. It gave a loud screeching call as alarms started flaring all over the compound. Soon enough, a dozen monkeys had leapt over the roof and into battle against the team, while a camera emerged from the wall to watch the fight unfold.

* * *

The camera led to a direct feed inside the compound, where Mr. Nobody and Monsieur Mallah were watching with matching concern. "Oh dear, interlopers. Something tells me they're a bunch of somebodies."

"Go Mallah," the French voice called from the operating table. "Take Monsieur Nobody's associates and deal with les intruders. I can handle Shazam's brain extraction myself." He continued as he held a scalpel precariously close to Shazam's forehead.

Mallah gave a nod to his partner before tearing off the scrubs and running into battle.

* * *

Kaldur used his water-bearers to form large clubs as he easily swatted away two of the monkeys. Another leapt at him, and he threw it towards the trees. However, the animal managed to catch itself as it snarled at the Atlantean. Kaldur's eyes narrowed as he noticed the collar before putting his water-bearers away. The monkey charged once again, but this time, Kaldur slammed it to the ground beneath him and tore the collar off.

With the collar gone, the monkey came to its senses before running away into the jungle once again. "Remove their collars!" Kaldur called to the team, informing them of how to stop their attackers.

"Sounds easy when he says it…" Robin scowled from where he was busy fighting off two of the monkeys himself. Artemis took notice, and after kicking a monkey that had gotten too close to her, fired two arrows at once. They each found their marks, cutting the collars off as the monkeys attacking Robin fled.

Robin nodded his thanks before standing and throwing two of his discs towards Artemis. The girl flinched before seeing them fly past her and strike the collars on monkeys that were attempting to attack her from behind.

"Don't you ever wish we'd just get something a little more normal for once?" Keemia grimaced as she used her magic to remove collars from monkeys that Ace had trapped with her telekinesis.

"Yeah, sometimes. But it would be more boring then, wouldn't it?" Ace asked.

"Hey, you've got the right idea, there!" a male voice suddenly called before a figure kicked Ace in the gut, knocking her to the ground.

"Ace!" Keemia called before narrowly dodging another kick from the same figure. "Okay, who's doing that?!"

When she turned to see the figure, she saw a man with wild black hair and scruffy beard. He wore a pink trench coat that covered his torso… which appeared to be a birdcage full of airplanes? On his face, he had a large red exclamation point, which somehow matched his loud grin. "The name's Agent '!', and me and my compatriot here are members of the legendary Brotherhood of Dada!"

"Brotherhood of Dada?" Red Hood asked curiously.

"Compatriot?" Niuhi frowned before a girl dressed in a black tank top with pajama bottoms and sound-cancelling headphones suddenly came in out of nowhere to punch Niuhi with incredible strength.

"Yeah, that girl there is Sleepwalk!" Agent '!' grinned while the door of the compound opened to reveal the gorilla with the minigun. "And that's a gorilla."

"Imagine that," Ace grimaced before Agent '!' suddenly ran at her again. Despite him obviously standing in front of her, she was having trouble tracking his location. He must have had some ability to mask his presence from others. It explained how he was able to catch her and Keemia off guard. After he struck her once more she scowled. "Okay, enough!' she yelled before focusing her telepathy on finding him. Once she did, she grasped his face with one hand before giving him a command: "Sleep!"

The man instantly fell over on the ground, while Niuhi traded blows with Sleepwalk nearby. While Sleepwalk was significantly smaller than Niuhi, she could still match her blow for blow. What made it more insulting was the fact that the girl appeared to be sleeping.

"Seriously? Is she sleeping right now?" Red Hood asked as he tried to land a blow before narrowly dodging a kick from their sleeping opponent.

"Yeah. So let's wake her up." Niuhi decided with a wicked smirk before covering her hands with the coldest ice she could muster, and sliding them under Sleepwalk's shirt to touch her bare stomach.

The effect was instant as the girl shrieked awake, her strength disappearing. Once awake and prone, Red Hood brought her down with a swift chop to the neck before taking her headphones curiously and trying them on.

"What's she got playing on there?" Niuhi asked.

"Huh. Barry Manilow, apparently." Jason shrugged before dodging a hail of warning fire bullets from Mallah. The gorilla had been guarding the door, staying away from the fighting before it suddenly froze, sniffing the air carefully. It then reached behind itself before grasping the still invisible Miss Martian and slamming her on the ground. He aimed the barrel of his gun at her before Kid Flash took notice.

"Get your paws off her, you darn dirty ape!" the speedster called before rushing headlong at the ape and colliding with its chest. This ultimately proved ineffective as Barry was instead sent flying back from the impact.

He slid along the ground before ending up right next to where Keemia was standing. "Well… that could have gone worse, I suppose." She mused before running forwards to engage the ape as well.

* * *

"You're not taking my brain!" Shazam pointed out, while his hopeful surgeon set a jar of formaldehyde next to the operating table.

"S'il vous plait, Shazam, do not struggle. Brain extraction is largely painless, but the benefits are enormous." He drawled before slowly coming forward out of the dark to reveal a squat droid body, almost shaped like a can, with an exposed human brain encased with glass on top. This was the villain known as The Brain. "Just look at what it has done for me."

Shazam looked at The Brain, torn between disbelief and pity as he saw a drill slowly come down over his head. "That thing won't work on me." He warned.

"Perhaps." Brain seemed to concede. "But it works on solid steel, so I'll try my luck. I'm told you have the courage of Achilles, non?" he asked as the drill warmed up. "Perhaps you should have asked for his invulnerability instead."

Before the Brain could continue though, the tiger from before suddenly launched over the table, knocking the mechanical can of a villain across the room. It then crouched in front of the operating table in a defensive stance, snarling menacingly at the villain.

"Traitor! You will suffer for that!" Brain yelled before activating the collar and sending the tiger into painful spasms.

"Stop it! Stop!" Shazam pleaded, not wanting to see the tiger in pain. Before Brain could continue his torture, the wall behind him suddenly exploded as Mallah was tossed through the concrete where he collided with the opposite wall inside.

"Oh, that's a good sign." Mr. Nobody mused before the dust settled to reveal a smirking Djinn, who blew away some smoke crackling around her fist before she and the rest of the team entered into the building. "Oh and that's even better!" Nobody added.

As soon as Barry had entered the building, he took one look at the villain responsible before gasping quietly. "It's the Brain!"

"Ugh, I can see it's a brain," Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

"Not a brain, _the_ Brain." Kid Flash corrected.

"In the flesh, so to speak." Brain said, rolling forwards next to Mallah, who picked himself off the ground slowly. "Mallah?"

At his command, the ape took out a remote which caused more pylons to erupt from the ground around the whole team, releasing a powerful field of energy that knocked them down.

' _Miss Martian, Superboy, now!'_ Aqualad commanded as M'Gann used her telekinesis to steal the remote and turn off the field. Once they were free, the team stood up again as the wall behind Mallah exploded, revealing Superboy. At his side, however, was the white alpha wolf.

"Sick 'em." The clone ordered before the wolf rushed in, tackling Mallah before leaping away. The ape rose quickly, roaring in anger before Flash drop-kicked its chest, causing it to stumble. He tried to open fire but was met with a kick in the face courtesy of Robin, before Coldsnap punched him in the knees with an ice enclosed fist. As he fell, Ace would pick him up with her telekinesis before slamming him to the ground.

Mallah tried to fire again, only for Superboy to leap at him. Mallah dodged, causing Superboy to strike the floor before the ape sent him flying with a spray of bullets. Although unharmed by them, it was enough to knock Conner down next to the wolf.

Before Mallah could fire again, an explosive arrow struck his shoulder pack with the bullets before exploding. He looked in shock to see Artemis load another arrow before her and Robin both launched their explosive projectiles to destroy Mallah's precious minigun.

Kaldur and Keemia used conjured shields to deflect laser blasts from the brain, carefully herding him towards Mallah's side. Soon enough, the villain realized that he was surrounded. Red Hood threw Mr. Nobody to the ground in front of him soon after, while Kaldur went to check on Shazam.

He easily tore the collar away, freeing the older hero who grinned at him. "Thanks. Now, one good turn deserves another." He declared before removing the collar from the tiger as the heroes rallied together again to surround the villains, as Sleepwalk and Agent '!' rushed back inside to Mr. Nobody.

"What are we gonna do boss?" Agent '!' asked worriedly while Mallah beat his chest in a threatening display.

"Try it. I hate monkeys." Superboy warned, cracking his knuckles while wolf growled.

"No my friends, this will not be our Waterloo." Brain decided.

"Ah, so we're continuing the oldest and noblest of villainous traditions." Mr. Nobody nodded as numerous side compartments and doors on the Brain's metal chassis opened to reveal various mechanical components. They opened and expanded to reveal a frightening display of sparking technology.

"Au revoir, mes amis." Brain hissed as the team prepared for the worst.

"Get down!" Barry warned as everyone prepared their retaliation. Suddenly, the lights in the compound all went dark, leaving the team in a blackout. The lights flickered back on a few seconds later to reveal the villains were gone, much to the shock of the heroes.

"Wait… that big scary weapon thing, was a light switch?" Barry asked in confusion as everyone looked to each other unsure.

Keemia just shook her head in disbelief before face-palming. "It was a fucking light switch."

* * *

With the villains having escaped from the team, for now, they decided to return to the Bioship. AS they made their trek back, they came across all of the animals they'd previously battled and removed their collars as well. By the time they had found the Bioship, they had freed the last of the monkeys which ran off into the forest soon after.

Surveying their handiwork, Barry grinned as he walked towards the ship with Artemis. The archer took notice and cast him a curious glance. "What are you grinning about?"

"One word; souvenir!" Barry grinned before taking out Mallah's beret. It had apparently been lost during the fighting, and Barry claimed it as their traditional souvenir, placing it on his head and pretending to model.

Artemis scoffed and rolled her eyes at his antics. "Two words; gorilla lice."

Barry's eyes widened before he threw the beret to the ground and frantically tried to brush out his hair with his fingers. "Aw man, gross!"

Shazam chuckled before crouching down next to the tiger, which had decided to follow them back to the ship. "That's the last of the collars?" he asked, referring to the monkey, as the tiger growled affirmatively in response. "And I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble?" Once again, the tiger growled as Shazam grinned and scratched it behind the ears. The cat mewled in pleasure, leaning into his hand. "Good. I'll be back for a visit, I promise."

At that, the tiger took off, running into the jungle again. Ace watched the exchange with a small smile as she looked up at Shazam curiously. "Is he your new pet now?"

"Maybe. Although I don't think he'll fit in my apartment." He admitted with a laugh. He looked off where the tiger disappeared to before cupping his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll call him Mr. Tawny."

While the other animals had left, the white alpha wolf had opted to stick around, currently fawning at the attention Conner was giving it. "The rest of the pack is gone, what are you still doing here?" he asked the animal, who leaned in and licked the clone's face amicably.

"I think he wants to stay here with you." M'Gann mused.

"Can I keep him?" Conner asked, suddenly excited as Keemia thought it over. "I'm sure Dad and Z wouldn't mind if he stayed around the house. It would be nicer than keeping him in the cave. If any of the neighbours ask, we say he's a mastiff."

At that, Barry had to laugh. "First the Sphere, now this beast? Dude, you sure make a habit of collecting strays."

Conner huffed quietly before M'Gann set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Maybe because she's such a stray himself," M'Gann offered before speaking to Conner alone, telepathically. ' _Aren't you?'_

Conner smiled in return before frowning sheepishly. ' _M'Gann, I'm sorry. I was just worried.'_

' _And that's sweet, Conner. But on a mission, I'm your teammate, not your girlfriend. Agreed?'_ She smiled as Conner gave her a lopsided smirk in response.

' _Yeah,'_ he nodded, his tone teasing before the two stood up.

"Well, he's gonna need a name." Barry pointed out, as Conner and M'Gann exchanged a glance. "Uh, how's about, 'Krypto'?"

The wolf growled slightly, clearly not amused by the suggestion. Conner gave a small laugh before nodding in agreement. "Pass,"

"Besides, isn't that taken?" M'Gann asked.

"Hey, at least it wasn't something stupid like 'Wonder Dog'." Keemia pointed out.

Kaldur watched the team interacting with each other before giving an inward sigh of relief. The mission could have gone so wrong so fast, but he was glad that they did manage to come together in the end to save Shazam. He gave a short nod before moving towards the gangplank of the Bioship, where Robin was waiting for him. His was about to walk past to enter the ship before Robin cleared his throat to stop him.

"Look, I need to know. Why did you keep the mole intel a secret?" Robin asked, suddenly calling the attention of the whole team as they approached Kaldur, each looking at him expectantly. Kaldur saw them watching him and frowned, unsure of what to say, as Keemia walked over to stand next to him.

"You don't need to worry about it Kal, I can tell them." She offered before Kaldur shook his head.

"No, I must be the one to do it. For the good of the team, they need my trust back." He said to her before facing the team again. "I did not tell you all because the source of the tip was Sportsmaster."

"What? You can't trust him!" Artemis screeched, outraged at the thought.

"I do not," Kaldur said, silencing her instantly. "It seemed possible, even likely, that he was attempting to divide the team with false information."

"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded." Tim realized while Keemia gave him a sharp glare.

"Damn right he almost did. Look, I know you guys were angry about it, but I wish you could have used your brains for half a second! We almost died, sure. But Kaldur had no way of knowing that. He never considered the idea that it could be Red Tornado. Would any of you had thought it could be him?"

"No… we wouldn't. Because he's a member of the Justice League." Barry nodded slowly.

"And the mole was said to be in the team. Tornado was never a factor until it was too late." Keemia concluded.

"The mole could have just been a ploy, but you had to consider that it might be true." Robin continued, now thoroughly ashamed of himself for his assumption.

"Yes. As leader, I did." Kaldur nodded. "In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor."

"Even if that meant keeping Jason in the dark, despite the fact that he's your lieutenant," Tim concluded. "Hate to say it, but… makes sense."

"I am still prepared to step down." Kaldur finished, while the team seemed to consider his words carefully.

"Well, all in favour of keeping Aqualad as leader?" Barry asked before every member of the team raised their hand. Even the wolf seemed to cock his head to the side, raising one ear in response. Kaldur nodded appreciatively to them before Shazam stepped over, setting a hand on his shoulder with a wide grin.

"Guess it's unanimous." He said before offering a hand to Kaldur as the two shook, both of them confident with the future once again. Afterwards, Shazam released his hand before turning to take off. "Well, see you tomorrow!"

"You're… not coming back with us?" Kaldur asked in surprise.

"Nope, gotta fly!" Shazam laughed before leaping into the sky and flying off west, towards the horizon.

"I hate to admit it… but I think I could get used to having him around. He's more fun than most other Leaguers anyway." Keemia said bluntly before Ace walked over to hold her hand.

"He really gets us honestly. It's kind of refreshing to have someone acting so young." Ashley smiled before the couple walked on into the ship.

"So when were you gonna tell us about you two getting together?" Artemis asked before Keemia met her with a blank stare.

"As soon as you were gonna stop gawking over it." She replied snidely as Artemis wisely decided to keep quiet at that.

"So, what are you gonna call him?" M'Gann asked Conner as he scratched the wolf behind the ears.

"What's wrong with just Wolf?" Conner asked as he, M'Gann, Barry, and the newly christened Wolf entered the Bioship.

"Generic, but acceptable." Barry relented, as they left Aqualad as the last member of the team still outside. Kaldur watched his team with a soft smile before casting one last glance at the jungle. The mission may have been harder than usual, but the team was now stronger than ever. With one last careful look, he entered the ship before they took off for home.

* * *

 **Fawcett City – September 24** **th** **, 22:16 CDT**

Dudley H. Dudley was a small-time real estate agent who made his living selling commercial space to various small-time businesses in Fawcett City. More prominent corporations considered him a bit of a conman, but that was due to his own nature of putting emphasis on the small-time market while gouging the larger businesses for far more money. After all, in his mind, if they have as much business as they claim, they can certainly afford to buy his real-estate. It was even in prime business locations. As far as Dudley was concerned, it was fair.

Being a resident of Fawcett City, Dudley was no stranger to superhero activity. Despite his experience to the unusual, it was still a remarkable display of calm that he had no reaction to the superhero Shazam suddenly flying through his living room window while he was busy reading a book on the couch.

Not even glancing at the hero as he walked past the couch, Dudley simply turned to the next page of his book. "Well boy, how'd it go?"

"Ah, it was so cool!" Shazam grinned as he took the lid off of a cookie jar from the kitchen counter and retrieved one of the chocolate chip cookies within. "The team's way more fun to hang out with than the League and they go on these covert ops missions that rock! And I got nabbed by the Brain, and I met this tiger, and-"

"Okay, okay." Dudley chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I'm glad you had fun sport, but it's getting pretty late. Brush your teeth and hit the hay."

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Shazam relented as he replaced the lid on the cookie jar and walked off towards the hallway. He didn't get too far away before Dudley stopped him, not missing a beat.

"A-hem! Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked as Shazam seemed to grin.

"Nah, I was just seeing if you were paying attention." Shazam grinned before turning around and flexing his muscles as he looked to the ceiling. " **SHAZAM!** " he yelled as a bolt of lightning struck him through the window. In an instant, Shazam was gone and in his place was twelve year old Billy Batson. Billy yawned before heading off down the hall again. "Goodnight, Uncle Dudley."

"Goodnight, Billy."

* * *

 **Paris, France – September 23** **rd** **, 19:47 CEST**

"Drat that team, ruining our fun." Mr. Nobody frowned, seemingly raving in place while Agent '!' and Sleepwalk watched him curiously. "The world needed a few dozen or so new animals anyway. The only better plan would have been to combine them and invent the Horse-Fly!"

"Are you sure you should really be focusing on that boss?" Agent '!' asked. "I thought our plan was to make you the president from a third party?"

"It certainly is the plan still! Someone must inform the people about how a foot is in fact 13 ½ inches long!" Mr. Nobody nodded. "We just need to distract those meddlesome teenagers somehow."

"Are you sure the Doom Patrol isn't the bigger threat here, boss?" Sleepwalk asked with a frown as Mr. Nobody whirled around to stare at her.

"Of course I'm sure! The Doom Patrol are a bunch of has-beens. But teenagers? They scare the living shit out of me." He raved before smugly folding his arms. "That's why I'm fighting fire with fire! Isn't that right, dear Terry?"

At that, a girl with olive skin and brown hair in a bob cut stepped out, wearing a stage magician's costume that was a bright red. She matched it with fishnet stockings, black stiletto heels, and a black domino mask that fit neatly on her face.

"It absolutely is! Time to cheer them up!" Terry grinned before adjusting the small hat on her head.

The Brotherhood of Dada looked at her curiously while Mr. Nobody wiped away a tear of pride from his lone eye. "Atta girl!"

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **Got some housekeeping to get through, so let's get to it:**

 **1) Mr. Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada. I love these lunatics. They're so goddamn goofy, how could I not? Mr. Nobody seemed like a good inclusion just because the team is bigger than the regular show. I figured Brain could use some more muscle that wasn't just a generic monkey goon. And with Brain and Mallah traditionally being enemies of the Doom Patrol, why not use another? (Side note, the Doom Patrol show is amazing, please watch it.) The Brotherhood itself is not just Sleepwalk and Agent '!' though. I just grabbed one member from the first two incarnations, because they seemed the most fun. The other members, if you're curious, are Frenzy and The Love Glove, as well as including The Breeze and 50% Chad from the Brotherhood of Nada. Yes... this means that a pair of legs wearing boxers is now running around Earth-45. Be afraid.**

 **2) Terry None. She will absolutely be appearing more because she is adorable and I love her. That's all I have to say.**

 **3) Artemis doesn't trust Ace. This is gonna carry over for a while now. She is scared of her, for one important reason. See if you can guess why. She also might be a little iffy on Keemia's new relationship status with Ashley. We'll just have to see.**

 **4) Dudley H. Dudley. Or rather, just Uncle Dudley. Is he in the Marvel family here? Yes. But just like in canon, he doesn't have powers. Just the costume. As for him being a conman, it's still sort of there. He just cons big-business now. He's a moral conman, if that exists. Chaotic Good at its finest. Billy also gets aged up a bit. I imagine that he gets his powers at 8 years old, and given the time that has passed since his appearance in Sandman Unlimited and Now, I figured he'd be about 12. The others do exist though. Mary, Pedro, Darla, Freddy, and Eugene are out there somewhere.**

 **5) Mr. Tawny. He may or may not return. We shall see. But honestly, who doesn't want a talking tiger?**

 **Well that covers the fun of Alpha Male, but next time we've got something else to deal with entirely...**

 **An original chapter!**

 **Yes, a new original chapter is coming. In a sort of adaptation of events from the Season of Infamy (VERY loosely), we will see Mr. Freeze on the loose, but how is Nyssa al Ghul involved? And who is the other menace out there? Is everything really as clear cut as the team thinks? One new girl will appear... and another girl will re-appear. All the way from the New Batman Adventures. Will Tim be ready for it?**

 **As always, be sure to read and review. I love it when you leave them. Hopefully this new one comes a little faster for you guys.**

 **Well, that should be everything.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	14. Lazarus

**Welcome back one and all! Yet another chapter has been completed, and in less time than before. I think I'm getting better at this.**

 **Lots of exciting news out of SDCC this year. Blade is joining the MCU, Taika Watiti is back for Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel's What If..? is looking to be such a fun little animated anthology series. So much good to come! And Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has revealed free DLC for Cyclops and Colossus, as well as Moon Knight being in the Marvel Knights DLC. All of the yes!**

 **Also, SEASON 3 OF YOUNG JUSTICE CONTINUES TO BE SO GOOD! Kaldur finally gets to be happy! No spoilers there, but trust me, it's great.**

 **This chapter here is yet another original piece, as I mentioned, but that just helps me do world-building alongside my housekeeping. So good stuff all around. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.**

 **In the mean time, lets look at some reviews here!:**

 **rmarcano321: Yes it can. Good news though, on this occasion it didn't. I'm honestly so glad that the Doom Patrol are getting more exposure. They're so silly and fun, I love them. Honestly, the Brotherhood of Dada are the farthest thing from serious you can get. But that's part of what makes them fun. Will I include elements from Spider-Man shows? Probably not. There's nothing from them that I need or want. And as I've said before, there is no theme to this fanfic. I mean, you can go ahead and squint and say its about growing up, and independence since that's what the original show was. But there really isn't an overarching theme to it.**

 **CRUDEN: Well I'm glad to know you enjoyed my chapter more than the episode its based on. That's a win in my book.**

 **Malchior the Bad: Mr. Nobody is a favourite of mine. I love him so much. Interesting enough, there isn't a Mr. Nobody in Earth 616. There is a Mister Negative. And a Mr. Nobody exists on Earth 982, with Spider-Girl. But other than that? Nothin'. I definitely loved Mysterio in Far From Home, even if I saw his twist coming from a mile away based on comic knowledge alone. Did I have a nice Father's Day? I suppose. I mean I'm not a father, unless you consider this story my baby. Damn straight I watched Season 3. I've seen all of it. And I loved it.**

 **Zeo: You mean, the Royal Flush Gang? Considering they're all adults and most likely still in jail, I'm gonna give a hard no.**

 **7-Eleventh: Will it be Annie? Perhaps. You'll just have to read and find out. Why is it so long that I'm prolonging it? I mean, normally it would be episode 15, as far as this fic is concerned it will be chapter 16 (Maybe. Depends on if I want to add more filler/original chapters). Even then, is it a problem with more story? I don't think so. Hopefully all of the mysteries in this chapter will all fall into place. Honestly, I think that Count Vertigo should be imaged in the eye of the reader. If you see him as the B:TAS incarnation, go for it. Personally I like his DC Showcase appearance, but will imagine him as his Young Justice counterpart. Don't worry, my Injustice League will hopefully be a nice intimidating collection of villains.**

 **Thanks again for all the great reviews. I like being able to read them, they help the process go faster each time. In any case, time for our usual disclaimer:**

 **I own nothing but the OCs and the original ideas. Keemia Marko and all related characters are property of Marvel Comics and Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **With that out of the way, onto the chapter!**

* * *

 **Nanda Parbat – September 26** **th** **07:54 CST**

Ra's al Ghul sat quietly in a state of solemn meditation, a daily tradition for him. Every morning he rose and partook in two hours of the noble practice, as part of his continued training. Accompanied by his father, the Sensei, and with his bodyguard Ubu standing by, he had little to fear as he completed his exercises.

"Hopefully we will be able to handle our outstanding responsibilities today. There is still the manner of our contract from Rome, for one." his father pointed out in a sage tone. Ra's hummed thoughtfully before nodding.

"Indeed. Perhaps we should send Cheshire. Despite her failure in Taipei, she has still proven herself to be a competent agent. One of our most promising." The aged master proposed.

"I shall send her a missive immediately." Sensei nodded.

"There is no hurry. It can wait until after tea," Ra's decided before a sudden thundering impact shook the very foundation of their building. Pillars quaked, releasing clouds of dust, and the flames of candles flickered as Ra's and the Sensei sprang to their feet, with Ubu drawing his sword pre-emptively. "What is happening?"

"Father!" Talia, his daughter, called as she entered the room with an urgent fear on her face. "The main gate is being assaulted by Hagan!"

Ra's sneered at the mention of their occasional hire. While Matt Hagan had proven useful to the Shadows in the past, they had not called on him in months. For the petty criminal to suddenly assault their holy sanctum now was an insult they could not let stand. "Ubu! Move Damian to the safe room. Talia, Sensei, with me. We will gather the others and assemble at the gate to meet this Clayface head on," he ordered before striding out of the room purposefully.

Talia and Sensei remained close behind him as they approached the outer gate of the holy city. Ordering their monks to stand down they arrived at the gate with Ra's in the centre. "Open the gate!" Ra's ordered in a low tone of voice, before two of his agents did as they were told.

The massive ornate gates swung open to reveal Matt Hagan, alias Clayface. He was mid swing to strike the door, only now finding himself face to face with his intended target, along with the rest of his League. Ra's, Talia, and Sensei stood in the centre of the courtyard. Accompanying them were Nyssa Raatko, Lady Shiva, David Cain, Sportsmaster, and Larissa Diaz, who was the latest person to be called Copperhead. Each of them stood at attention, with intent to kill if Hagan made any move towards their master. One final person stood off behind Ra's, with a bored expression, as he watched Clayface.

"Well, nice to know you can entertain a guest for a minute," Hagan scowled before lumbering inside the city.

"What business do you have here, Hagan? The League has not requested your services as of late." Ra's said evenly, not wanting to waste time.

"You owe me Ra's. I've done your dirty work for years, you owe me a favour." Matt Hagan said before lurching and howling in pain as his body seemed to bubble and fall apart. After a few seconds, he reformed and reconstituted himself before panting and looking at the master of the Shadows. "I need the Pit!"

While he did not allow his face to betray any flicker of emotion, inwardly Ra's mind was awhirl at what he had just seen. He had presumed for quite some time that eventually Matt Hagan's body would stop responding to his will, and begin to deteriorate. He just hadn't assumed it would happen so soon. It must be quite the painful experience for the monster of mud, but Ra's had little to care for. He had been a useful agent, but his usefulness had grown short as of late. "You will not be allowed access to the sacred pool. Regardless of the pain you suffer."

"What?! But you need me Ra's! You need Clayface!" he bellowed before raising a massive hammer to strike at the ancient man.

"You are not the only Clayface, Hagan," Ra's barked before the bored man standing behind him suddenly reverted to his true form – another Clayface. He struck Hagan across the face, knocking him outside the gate before standing in front of Ra's protectively.

Matt rolled to his feet before standing with a shocked expression. "Wh-what is this? Who's he?!"

"This is Basil Karlo. A story very much like your own; an actor who wished for more out of life after he was spurned. Disfigured in an accident. While we had use for you in the past, you are too rebellious, too hard to control. It wasn't difficult to obtain a sample of your clay, or to replicate the chemical. The League of Shadows has its own Clayface now. We have no need for you anymore." Ra's explained as his agents seemed to relax.

"Y-you… replaced me? You replaced _**ME**_ _?!"_ Clayface roared in anger before forming maces for another attack. Before he could approach however, he doubled over in pain again. It felt as though his entire body would burst from the inside. "Fine… replace me if you want… but this isn't the only Lazarus Pit. I will find another, even if I have to tear down all of Gotham in the process!"

Ra's eyes widened in fear now. How did he know about the other Pits?! "Take him down! He cannot be allowed to find my other Pits!" he ordered before the Shadows sprang into action. Unfortunately for them, they did not expect Hagan to think through his assault. The first Clayface sneered at the approaching assassins before knocking down the supports for the wall and causing the gate to collapse in front of them, barring the path.

Talia and Shiva vaulted up the wall first, with Basil Karlo and Copperhead close behind. By the time they reached the top, Hagan had already disappeared into the blizzard. Shiva cursed before the four climbed back down the wall. "He's gone, master." She reported in shame as Ra's grimaced.

"He'll be heading to Gotham. He shouldn't be too hard to track down." The master frowned, before turning to Nyssa. "Daughter, can I trust you to apprehend him?" he asked.

"Of course father," the archer nodded before bowing respectfully. "It shall be done."

"Good. I'll send word to my contacts in America, and I'll have Victor Fries sent to meet you. Hagan is weak to the cold. The fact that he made it to our city is itself miraculous, but the good doctor should be able to assist you in stopping him." Ra's decided. "Bribe him with use of the Pit to save his wife if you have to."

"Perhaps it would be more prudent if I were to bring Karlo with me." Nyssa offered.

"Nonsense! Or are you suggesting that you alone do not have the skill required to restrain that attempted usurper?" Sensei asked.

"Peace, Sensei." Ra's said, holding up a hand to prevent his father going on a rant. "Nyssa is correct. While her skill is both formidable and impressive, she will require assistance. Hagan is at this point a force of nature. It would also do well for Karlo to test his own mettle out there."

"It would be my pleasure, master." Karlo nodded, before bowing to the man respectfully.

Ra's nodded his approval. "Then go. Make haste."

"As you command," Nyssa nodded. The two would then move to leave before Ra's halted them again.

"While you are leaving now, it might be prudent for you to dispose of our recent… failure as well. People go missing in Gotham all the time, another little girl on the street will be no different. The Shadows do not abide by failures." He threatened.

Both agents immediately understood his intent, and while Karlo went to secure their transport, Nyssa went to retrieve the girl in question. Ra's simply watched his unfold before turning back to Sensei. "Now, shall we return to our meditation?"

* * *

 **Mount Justice - September 26** **th** **20:04 EDT**

"I can't believe that he's stupid enough to actually challenge her to this." Keemia scoffed with a grin, before sipping the last of her iced coffee.

"I can't believe he's stupid enough to let me film it." Tim retorted as he looked through his phone's camera to the table in front of him. While most of the team was currently at home or otherwise occupied, Tim and Keemia had arrived at the tower to train with their staffs.

Keemia's was magical, sure, but it was still just as durable and useful for combat as Tim's. And, as the boy wonder was quick to point out, Keemia needed some remedial lessons on her own close-quarters combat. Jason just so happened to be accompanying Tim, citing that he was bored. After nearly an hour of Keemia being repeatedly knocked to the floor in increasingly embarrassing fashions, Niuhi arrived at the base to make use of their gym.

It wouldn't be very long into her workout before Jason challenged her to an arm wrestling match. She refused him at first, but after repeated requests she finally relented. This led to the two of them sitting down at the table in the mission room, ready to face off.

"Ready to lose?" Jason asked confidently.

"This is a joke right? I'm supposed to laugh at that?" Niuhi snickered before the two clasped their right hands, ready to begin.

"Alrighty you two, I want this to be a clean fight. Niuhi, that means no ice. Jason, that means you can't just shoot her in the face." Keemia smirked, while Jason simply grumbled at the insinuation.

"Let's just get this over with. I want to hit the punching bag already!" Niuhi huffed before Tim nodded.

"Alright guys, on the count of three, you may begin." Tim grinned, starting the video. "One… two… three!"

There was an audible thud as Jason's arm was slammed onto the table with minimal effort. Jason gave a brief yelp of pain before Niuhi released his hand and folded her arms triumphantly. Off to the side, Keemia and Tim were laughing hysterically.

"There, satisfied?" Niuhi asked Jason, a smirk firmly planted on her face.

He looked at his arm carefully before shooting Tim and Keemia a warning glare. When they stopped laughing he looked back at Niuhi with a chuckle. "Not even close! Best two out of three, now!"

"You're not serious, are you?" Niuhi asked incredulously.

"Deathly serious." He retorted.

"Oh please say yes. I need to hear that noise again." Keemia asked, barely stifling her giggles.

"It's gonna be my new ringtone!" Tim added before Jason shot him another glare.

"Don't you dare!"

Any further conversation was halted when the teleporter behind them flared to life. " _Recognized: Batman-01_." The computer's synthesized voice rang out before the Leaguer in question entered into the mission room. "I figured you were still here Tim. I have a mission for you, and for you three as well."

"What sort of mission?" Tim asked curiously, as he put his phone away and immediately went into a more serious mode. Jason and Niuhi left the table they were sitting at to stand with Keemia and Tim, both curious as to what Batman had for them.

Batman nodded once before calling up the holoscreen to display reports from Belle Reve. "At approximately 9:34 am this morning, Victor Fries was removed from Belle Reve penitentiary and sent back to Arkham. He was supposed to arrive back to his usual cell in the freezer there two hours ago. This, however, did not occur."

"What happened? Did he escape or something?" Keemia asked.

"Not without help. Upon careful research I managed to find security footage from his prison transport that showed him being moved to an unmarked vehicle. The driver of this vehicle could not be identified. According to further video surveillance, the vehicle is still within Gotham, and is en route to Freeze's usual lab. Your job is to find out who took him, why they did it, and ultimately to apprehend him if necessary." Batman explained.

"You're trusting us with apprehending Freeze?" Jason asked in surprise, with the others looking hopeful. This was the first time that such a high-profile villain's capture had been entrusted to them.

"Yes, I am. Do not take this lightly. Victor Fries is a brilliant scientist and tactician. And whoever has freed him is still an unknown entity. Proceed with caution. You will leave as soon as you're ready." He finished before activating the computer and typing away.

"He trusts us to go get Freeze? Barry is gonna be so jealous when he finds out!" Tim said excitedly before rushing off to get into uniform.

"Amazing, we're going up against one of Gotham's elite threats and all he can think of is Barry being jealous?" Niuhi scoffs while Keemia gives her a playful jab.

"Come on, don't tell me you're not a little bit excited." She teased.

"Oh I am. I've been looking for an excuse to flex my strength," Niuhi nodded. "I just think it's a little bizarre that he's this excited over a villain he's personally fought before."

"Well maybe after this, it will be a little more zarre." Jason mused.

Keemia and Niuhi both started at him blankly, before Keemia shook her head. "Was that your attempt to try and copy Tim's butchering of words?"

Jason winced a little at that before his shoulders slumped. "Yeah… yeah it was."

"Well stop it."

"Yes ma'am…"

* * *

 **Gotham City – September 26** **th** **20:23 EDT**

Snowy Cones Ice Cream factory was an interesting figure in the downtown core of Gotham City. While many had considered it to be the ideal spot for Victor Fries to set up his base of operations, they could not be more wrong. It seemed ideal, if a little ironic, that a man specializing in cryogenic research would use such a location as a means to build his criminal enterprise. But the truth is, the man had no such interest in using the old factory for such an enterprise.

His true base was in an abandoned medical facility that specialised in disease and viral research. The laboratories were large and state-of-the-art, in spite of the fact that most of the equipment had been moved out when it was shut down. It had many rooms that were kept at a constant low temperature so as to ensure that the infecting agents were left dormant. In case of an emergency, power could be produced from a large generator in the basement, and last near indefinitely. The cooling agents inside were numerous and had been left largely untouched, their half-lives ensuring they would continue to be useable for upwards of fifty years. But the main attraction of the building was a failsafe in the security system that submerged the entire building in temperatures below minus fifty-degrees centigrade. This ensured that no pathogens would be able to survive long enough to escape the laboratory in the event of a large scale contamination.

Victor Fries gave a small sigh of relief as he entered the building's central lab, and noticed that the failsafe freezing had not been turned off since the last time he was here. Through the glass pane in the centre of the room that allowed viewing into the main freezer, he saw his wife; Nora Fries, perfectly preserved in her cryogenic stasis, until a cure could be synthesized for her condition. A condition Victor Fries researched tirelessly in this very building, before the untimely accident once his funding was cut.

But that was a lifetime ago, and now the man of ice entered the freezer carefully, placing a gentle hand on the ice as he gave his wife a longing gaze. "Nora… my beautiful Nora… You will be free soon. You will be safe… It won't be long until I can bring you to Ra's' Lazarus Pit, and then? You will be free to live the life you were denied."

"Even if you had to become a career criminal to get her to this point?" Basil asked him rhetorically. The League of Shadows' shape-shifter watched Fries impassively, but under the visage of indifference, he felt a touch of sympathy for the scientist. To lose the former life he once held dear, unable to go back to what he once was. He knew all too well how that could feel.

"I could return to prison for the rest of my life as long as Nora was well… she is everything I worked to save. She is all that matters now." Victor said, as Nyssa entered the room.

"This is no time to be sentimental Freeze. We agreed to save your wife, and our truck has a freezer inside for her body. But we need to move." She urged him.

"There is always time for sentimentality," Freeze retorted before he carefully readied the canister holding Nora to be moved. "Would you not do the same for your own lover?"

"Do not speak of Ta-er to me, old man. She is none of your concern." She said with a sneer, while Victor rolled his eyes. He knew he was too important for her mission to actually hurt him at this point.

"I mean no harm. I simply wish to give you some perspective." He said before looking off towards the window of the laboratory. His eyes narrowed before he spoke again. "We are not alone here…" he warned, as the two assassins suddenly went on alert.

"Who is it? Did you see?" Nyssa asked, as she drew her bow, readying an arrow.

Freeze raised an arm to the glass before sneering. "Robin." He answered, before he suddenly fired a beam of ice towards the door they entered through, as two more unseen figures dove out of the way to avoid it. "He brings his team with them."

"Is it the Batman?" Nyssa asked again.

"No," Freeze answered as the three got ready to leave.

"Then they won't be a problem." Basil smirked. "Move!"

At once, the three villains rushed from the room, with Freeze carefully carrying Nora on his back. Basil suddenly lunged to the side, forming a mallet of clay to knock away Robin, who was attempting a flying kick.

"Clayface?!" Robin asked in alarm after carefully landing on his feet while his team entered around him.

"Yeah, but not the one you know." Karlo answered before opening a large hole in his chest as Nyssa let loose an arrow at Coldsnap. The arrow collided with the girl's forehead before bouncing off of her impervious skin.

"Thank you dad," she breathed in relief over her lineage, before she unleashed a beam of ice towards the three. Freeze was quick to intercept as he fired his own beam to keep Coldsnap at bay.

"Distract Freeze! We'll take the others!" Djinn urged as Red Hood and Robin leapt to engage Nyssa, while she dealt with the new Clayface. He launched an enlarged fist towards her, but she shielded herself with a large magical bubble to deflect the blow.

"Huh, that's cute." Basil mused.

"Thanks, I've been working on it." She grinned. " **Tropelet dniheb uoy!** " she cast before disappearing in a burst of light, and reappearing behind him. A multitude of magical circles conjured in front of her before each let loose a flurry of energy bolts towards the shape-shifter. While they harmlessly blasted through his body, their persistence left him on the defensive.

"Okay, that's annoying now!" he growled out before firing clay bolts from his body to deflect her magic in mid-air.

Despite the two protégés of Batman outnumbering Nyssa, they were still at a disadvantage against the sheer skill and deadliness of the League of Shadows' veteran. Despite being in close range combat, she was able to use her bow to fight against Red Hood's own gun-kata. Robin attempted a low sweep with his Bo staff, but she easily flipped over it, gaining enough distance to fire two arrows at the boys, which unleashed a cloud of smoke around them.

"Crap, you blind?" Robin asked Hood, before the older boy pressed a button on the side of his helmet, activating the thermal imaging in his mask. With it now activated, he could see Nyssa advancing on them, wearing razor-sharp claws on her fingers.

"Not a chance!" Hood grinned before he pulled his trench knives and went on the offensive.

"Me neither," Robin grinned as well, used to fighting in smokescreens. He followed Red Hood's movement towards Nyssa, before suddenly flanking to the side in the cloud and attacking from behind, focusing on her joints. She was quick to whip around and slash at him, but soon had to turn back again, as Hood swung his knives in a wide arc.

She brought up her hands and stopped the blades with the gauntlets she wore. "An interesting tactic. You're certainly deadlier than your brother-in-arms." She mused before drop-kicking him in the chest, knocking Jason through the glass observation window and into the freezer room. Once he was gone, she spun around again, and landed her palm on Robin's solar-plexus to knock him into a nearby table.

Coldsnap and Freeze continued their deadlock of ice beams, but it was becoming more and more apparent to Niuhi that Freeze was starting to overwhelm her. Freeze knew it as well and took a slow, but steady, step towards her.

"You're stronger than Junior, but you're still an amateur compared to me." The scientist taunted, the thought of Nora being restored fuelling him to continue the fight.

Coldsnap grunted as her arms started to buckle, gritting her teeth as she struggled to keep her beam up. She couldn't over power the scientist in the beam struggle. She needed some sort of way to distract him, to give her an opening to close the gap. Suddenly getting an idea she swapped to one hand, drastically weakening her beam as Freeze pushed her back further.

"Surrendering to me already?" Freeze chuckled. "A wise choice."

"No, not surrendering." She grunted, before enveloping her free arm in a massive gauntlet of ice. "Adapting!" she yelled before launching the ice at Freeze. The gauntlet flew straight and struck his glass dome, causing him to stumble back as his beam ended. With his focus down, Coldsnap rushed in, covering her fists in thick ice as she moved to punching at his chest and dome.

Freeze was now forced on the defensive as he carefully set Nora down out of harm's way before he attempted to strike back against Coldsnap. But Coldsnap clearly out classed him in close-quarters. Every time he attempted to fire a beam, she either dodged or redirected his arm away from her before responding with another quick jab to his kidneys.

"Not so tough now, are you?" she asked with a smirk before transforming the ice on her fingers into claws and attempting to slash at his suit and expose him to the open air. Freeze stepped back to avoid her blows before getting an idea. As soon as her left hand made contact with his suit, he grasped her wrist before freezing it to his body, trapping her for his counter-attack. He let loose a savage head butt before breaking the ice that held her and kicking Coldsnap back several feet.

"I just needed my second wind. Better hope you get yours soon." He taunted before the two cryokinetics once again found themselves in a beam struggle.

Clayface and Djinn continued their own struggle not far away. For every hammer he brought down on her, she would deflect it with a quick shield before countering with a variety of spells. Fire, ice, electricity, and plain old lasers were fired, to a multitude of results. Ice seemed most effective, but Clayface proved largely immune to the lasers.

"God, don't you ever get tired?" Djinn whined childishly.

"Not on days that end with Y." he retorted before swinging another broad hammer down which she deflected with a hastily conjured shield. Karlo didn't stop there, as he suddenly threw repeated blows down onto the barrier, attempting to overpower Djinn and break through. Each impact left Djinn more and more fatigued as she struggled to keep her shield active against his onslaught.

Karlo knew he couldn't keep up with her sheer variety of spells and magic. The only way he would be able to overcome her power outright would be if he wore her down first, making her too tired to fight back. He knew in a battle of endurance he would come out on top, and the sooner she was out of the fight, the sooner Karlo could assist his own allies.

With one last swing, he finally managed to shatter her shield as Djinn was sent sprawling back on the floor. Karlo chuckled lightly before advancing on her, giving a half-hearted shrug. "Sorry kid, but for what it's worth, not everyone can stand up to the Shadows for so long. Kudos to you." He complimented before forming one giant mallet and raising it above his head.

Before he could swing it down, several pellets collided with his face and body before exploding, spraying his clay all over the room. He grunted in pain, stumbling away from Djinn as Red Hood leapt out from the freezer. He reached inside his jacket before throwing more explosive pellets at Clayface, delaying his reforming for a few more seconds before rushing towards Freeze. The villain only had a few seconds to look at Hood in surprise, before Jason drove his boot down onto Freeze's left knee. There was a sickening crack as it was dislocated, before Red hood followed up shooting both pistols into Freeze's dome at point blank range.

The cryogenics expert fell to the ground with a cry of pain before Hood looked to Coldsnap. "Trade with Djinn, we need both of these guys locked down. Now!" he urged as Coldsnap and Djinn quickly swapped places. Coldsnap rushed Clayface just as the assassin had reformed his body.

"Aw crap," he grimaced before being frozen solid by the teenaged cryokinetic's ice beam. Djinn meanwhile conjured a magical circle on the floor to summon heavy chains. They wrapped themselves around Freeze, restraining the scientist. She smiled at her success, giving a small sigh of relief.

"A-hem!" Nyssa called out, gaining the attention of the three teens as they turned to look at her. While her allies had been restrained, she managed to subdue Robin and had her hand firmly clasped around his throat. "Release my compatriots. If you do not, one twist of my thumb and his throat will be torn open." She threatened, pressing the claw of her gauntlet into his skin hard enough to draw a small bead of blood.

Underneath his helmet, Jason grit his teeth angrily as he bit back a growl. Djinn and Coldsnap exchanged a reluctant glance before Hood finally lowered his pistols. "Do as she says…" he relented. Coldsnap grasped the chains around Freeze before tearing them apart, while Djinn looked to Karlo with a grimace.

" **Waht tuo ecafyalc.** " She chanted as the ice around the villain magically thawed away and disappeared.

"Man that was uncomfortable," he shuddered, biting back a shiver as he helped Freeze to his feet.

"Alright… they're free… now let Robin go!" Djinn urged, clutching her staff tight as she watched the assassin that held her friend.

"No, not yet." Nyssa said carefully. "Not until you answer some questions."

"That's not fair! We did what you asked!" Coldsnap yelled.

"And yet I did not promise to release him if you complied." Nyssa snapped back, silencing Coldsnap from any further yelling. "Now, why did you come here tonight?" she asked, watching the teens carefully. The three of them remained silent, reluctant to give any information away to the League of Shadows operative. Nyssa frowned, her right eyebrow rising slowly in mild interest. She pressed her thumb harder into Robin's neck, releasing a small trickle of blood that ran down his skin. Red Hood's hand seemed to flinch reflexively for his pistol, but none of the three moved, for fear of causing further injury to Robin. "Well? Why are you here?" Nyssa asked again.

"We…" Djinn started, her hands twisting around her staff before she sighed, relenting. "We were sent here to find Freeze, after his transport to Arkham was transferred to an unmarked van with no connection to the asylum. We tracked the van to this location, and were sent inside to apprehend him."

Nyssa gave a small but dangerous smile as the pressure under her thumb seemed to decrease. "There, was that so difficult?" she asked before suddenly dropped Robin onto the ground. The teen coughed and sputtered, grasping his throat painfully. "Now, give us one good reason not to kill you here and now." She demanded, drawing her bow as Karlo and Freeze surrounded the team.

"Damn it, should have known it would end up here." Djinn muttered with a scowl.

"Would you expect anything less from the Shadows?" Hood asked rhetorically as his hands once again inched towards his pistols.

Nyssa gave a low chuckle at their desperate situation as she raised her bow, aiming it right at Djinn. "Shame. I would have been curious to see what you thought would work." She mused, ready to fire. Before she could release the arrow though, Karlo extended a long hand of clay to lower her bow.

"Hey now, maybe we can get them to help us out." He proposed. Nyssa shot him an incredulous glance at the insinuation, and even Freeze looked on perplexed. Karlo gave her a serious look before subtly gesturing out the back hallway where the van was currently parked. It only took a second for Nyssa to understand what he meant.

"Help you with what? Why should we want to help you?" Coldsnap asked with a snarl as Robin rose to his feet and rejoined his teammates.

"Gotta say, being held under threat of death is not the strongest way to convince us to work with you." He snarked. "We were here for Freeze and Freeze only."

"And you shall have me." Freeze relented, shocking everyone. "Once their job is done, I will return to prison, in your custody."

"Wait, seriously?" Djinn asked in surprise. Even Nyssa and Basil were shocked by the offer as Freeze cast a longing glance at the frozen form of Nora.

"Yes… The agreement was that I would help the Shadows in exchange for them using the Lazarus Pit to save my dearest Nora… It never stipulated that I would be left to go free." He explained. "All I want is for her to be safe and well. As long as this is guaranteed, I have no qualm with returning to prison."

The six stood in silence as they contemplated Freeze's words. Finally, it was Robin who spoke. "That's… that's really sweet. Tonight could be the night your criminal career comes to an end." He said in realization.

"Everything I have done, I have done to save Nora." Freeze nodded. "I am prepared for this to be my final mission… as Mr. Freeze."

"Which reminds me, what exactly is this mission?" Red Hood asked suspiciously, as Nyssa reluctantly put her bow away.

"We were sent by my father to prevent Clayface from assaulting the Lazarus Pit located in Gotham. We were to detain him, and return his body to Nanda Parbat for punishment." She explained.

"There's a Lazarus Pit located in Gotham?!" Robin said in alarm.

"Yes, and Matt Hagan believes himself to be entitled to it." Nyssa nodded. At the mention of Hagan, Robin seemed to glower in a way uncannily similar to the bat-glare.

"Wait, backup." Djinn said. "What exactly is a Lazarus Pit?"

"The Lazarus Pits are ancient pools of unknown origin, which appeared on this planet nearly fifty-thousand years ago. The waters of these pools restore anyone who bathes inside to pristine health. It makes you younger, heals wounds, and can even raise the dead." Nyssa explained, much to the shock of Djinn, Red Hood, and Coldsnap. "It is how Ra's al Ghul has managed to live for centuries. There are seven known Lazarus Pits at this current moment. And yes, one is located in Gotham, underneath the Yuyan building."

"That's right in the middle of Gotham!" Coldsnap exclaimed.

"No better place to hide than in plain sight." Karlo chuckled.

"So you plan on stopping Hagan from reaching the pit? What does he want with it?" Robin asked.

"Matt Hagan has been undergoing severe pains lately. His body is losing its ability to hold its form. He wants to bathe in the water in order to restore himself. Unfortunately, his body isn't the only thing fractured." Karlo said. "His mind is deteriorating faster than his body, and the clay nature of his form could seriously pollute the pool."

"Due to the nature of Hagan's powers, the master requested we enlist the assistance of Dr. Fries here, since Clayface is notoriously weak to the cold." Nyssa continued.

"And why does any of this concern us? Why should we care if Hagan reaches the Pit?" Coldsnap asked indignantly, not convinced of the seriousness of their mission.

"It is unknown what would happen if Hagan were to touch the pool. But considering his body is regenerating and deteriorating at an unprecedented rate, the Pit enhancing his strength and abilities could lead to his mass increasing exponentially." Nyssa warned.

"In layman's terms, we could see a Clayface the size of the Iceberg Lounge running around Gotham if we don't stop him." Karlo finished, causing the teens to blanch at the thought. While Djinn was not present for the event, and neither Coldsnap nor Red Hood had joined the team, they all heard of what happened the last time the team fought Hagan. The thought of the villain growing to such a size thoroughly alarmed each of them.

"So… what exactly are the terms of this agreement? Should we choose to accept it, I mean." Djinn asked carefully.

"In exchange for assisting us in stopping Matt Hagan from reaching and bathing in the Lazarus Pit, we not only allow the four of you to live, but you also get return Dr. Fries to the custody of Arkham Asylum. His wife Nora will be healed through the restorative water of the pit itself in exchange for his own assistance." Nyssa put forward.

Djinn thought it over for a moment, unsure of what to make of the deal. She glanced to her teammates to gauge their own reactions. Coldsnap seemed reluctant, and equally irate that such a situation even arose. But she also knew that it would be their best chance at completing their mission if they went along. Red Hood's face was unreadable due to his mask, but Keemia had learned to read his body language. He was tense, but not as defensive as before. While he was willing to accept these terms, he was clearly not happy about it.

Robin was a different story altogether. When Keemia looked to Tim, she noticed his face hardened into a look of grim determination. He was clearly the most on board to stop Hagan. For whatever reason this was, Keemia did not know. But taking her teammate's apparent thoughts into account, their decision was obvious. She sighed before giving a slow nod to Nyssa. "Alright… you got a deal."

Nyssa smiled at her success before nodding back. "Excellent. Hopefully you make better allies than you do opponents." She said with a barbed tongue, as Freeze set his dislocated knee, relocating the bone before lifting his wife's frozen form onto his back again. The motley group was about to head out before Robin called their attention.

"I got a question before we head out though," Robin spoke up, stopping them for a moment. "How did you get the same powers as Matt Hagan?" he asked carefully, pointing an accusatory finger at Karlo.

Basil chuckled lightly before shrugging. "Figured this would come up eventually. Well, if you must know, Hagan used to do work for the Shadows. However, our ever wise master determined that he wouldn't always be a stable or reliable asset. Case and point, his current plan to use the Pit. As such, our master stole a small sample of Hagan's clay and set out replicating the formula. Once he had what he needed, he managed to get it injected into me." He said before sighing wistfully.

"I was like Hagan once. A famous actor with a handsome face. One day though, one of the lamps on set exploded under the heat of its bulb. The class flew out and struck my face. Hacked by glass and burned on top of that? I was desperate to get my old look back. I thought that this injection of Hagans's powers would do just that." He continued, having captured the attention of the whole team. "At first, I didn't even consider the Shadows. I just set about drunk on power. Admittedly I probably shouldn't have gone to crime right away, but I couldn't help it. For a while, lots of people thought I was Hagan. We looked similar, had the same powers. We even quoted movies rather often while we worked. I think I fought your daddy a couple of times. You're the Sandman's girl, right?" he asked Djinn with a lopsided smirk.

"Yeah, that's me. So you're the Clayface he was always complaining about?" she asked with interest.

"Yep, that's me. I don't know if he ever learned about it being me under the clay." He laughed before turning serious. "After a while, I realised something; if the Shadows have done something for you, they expect you to return the favour. And sooner than later, they will come for you to collect your debt. I decided, out of fear mostly, to seek them out instead. Ra's welcomed me to the temple and I spent my time training and working on being his new agent. A master of disguise. As far as he's concerned, I was ready for the field. This is my first real day out," he admitted sheepishly.

"If we're quite finished now, we really should be going." Nyssa said pointedly. "We can't afford to waste any more time. There's no telling how close Hagan is to the Pit. We shall depart for the Yuyan building immediately, and wait for him to arrive. Hopefully, with seven of us, he won't take too long to put down."

"Can we trust you to be there?" Robin asked in an accusatory tone.

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing." Nyssa countered.

The teens looked at her uneasily before Djinn folded her arms with a huff, conceding her point. "She's got us there."

* * *

It didn't take the team very long to get to the long abandoned form of the Yuyan building. They waited outside the door of the amphitheatre, until the telltale sounds of the unmarked vehicle parking alerted them to the arrival of their uneasy allies. Nyssa entered with Freeze and Karlo flanking her, before she personally led the group down into the basement and through an unmarked door at the far side of the room. It led them down a cavernous staircase until they reached a large, hollowed out cave. In the centre of the cave, a bubbling green pool sat. The limestone surrounding it was immaculately carved into ornate pillars and steps, leading to the lip of the water. Dozens of candles encircled the room, seemingly lit indefinitely as their flames illuminated the entire cave.

"So… that's what a Lazarus Pit looks like?" Djinn mused, looking at the room. "The mana here feels unlike anything else I've ever encountered." She breathed. True to her words, the magical essence of the room was powerful, ancient, and nearly too oppressive for her to stand.

"Yes, the energy of the Lazarus Pit is truly unlike anything else on the planet. It is a miracle of design, and an invaluable resource for our master." Nyssa nodded, her own face nearly betraying the pride she felt for possessing such knowledge. "Get into position. There is enough room for each of us to hide and ambush Hagan once he arrives. Once he gets here, he goes down hard and fast. No hesitation. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Hood nodded, still reluctant to work with the Shadows. With one last nod from Nyssa, they split off to set their ambush. Red Hood and Coldsnap moved together on the far side of the pit. Karlo and Freeze hid off on the right. Nyssa crouched alone on the left side, behind an ornate statue. That left Djinn and Robin to hide near the entranceway.

"Gotta admit, this isn't how I imagined this mission going down tonight." Djinn admitted in a hushed tone. "What exactly do we tell Batman about it?" she asked Robin. When she was met with silence she frowned. "Robin?" she asked again before finally turning to see her team mate staring off at the entrance with unmistakable hatred. "Tim!" she hissed, finally getting his attention.

"Huh? Oh, sorry…" he said sheepishly. "I was focused…"

"I can see that." She snorted quietly. "It looked like you were trying to burn a hole through the door with your eyes." She said, as Tim sighed and looked off away from her. Seeing his discomfort, her own gaze softened. "Is something wrong, Tim?"

"I… This is just really personal for me." He said quietly.

"What, fighting Hagan? Is this because he trounced the team before we went to Bialya?" she asked.

"No, this is from before that. Long before that. Matt Hagan… he murdered someone that I really cared about." He admitted. "And he never would admit to it. He would never accept that he killed someone… and he has yet to be taken to justice for it."

Keemia's eyes widened in shock at the revelation before she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Oh my god, Tim… I'm so sorry… I had no idea."

He nodded once, biting back tears at the memory. "Her name was Annie… I met her not long before your dad first arrived in our world. I only knew her for a day but… I felt something with her. I felt something… real."

"And Hagan… killed her?"

"In a way, she was part of him originally. He shed a chunk of clay to scout around Gotham one day. But she developed a mind all her own, became her own person." He explained. "He needed her to stay whole though. Without her he kept falling apart. He chased us down and nearly killed me, but she sacrificed herself to him, allowed him to reabsorb her, just to save me. I guess she wasn't even real to begin with, but she felt real to me."

"If she meant that much to you, and gave her life for you, then of course she was real. Hagan did murder someone that day." She said before giving him a look of determination. "And tonight, we'll bring him to justice for it."

Robin gave her a sincere and thankful smile, before the sound of loud and lumbering footsteps was heard overhead. "It's him… he's here." Nyssa whispered. "Get ready!" she ordered as everyone made sure they were in place to act.

They could hear his lumbering footsteps overhead as his massive body crashed through the leftover furniture of the rooms above them. Soon enough, the footsteps moved on towards the stairs, as the cacophonous sound of his descent echoed towards them. His heavy, wet, footsteps grew closer and closer, before the lumbering form of Clayface finally emerged into the candlelit room.

The large rogue appeared to be limping. His left arm was clutched at an awkward angle against his body, as though he were trying to cover up a grievous wound. His breaths were heavy and ragged and he glanced at the pool before chuckling. "Heh… sorry Ra's. Your Pit… is all mine now." He laughed before moving towards it.

Just a few steps in, Djinn finally acted. " **Edolpxe ttam s'nagah sgel!** " she cast, catching Hagan completely by surprise. Before he could react, his legs ruptured, spraying clay all around. The sudden explosion, combined with the change in momentum sent him falling towards the floor. Red Hood and Nyssa jumped in next as they launched their own explosives, knocking him back further, while Robin used his own explosive discs to stop Hagan leaving.

As Hagan was down on the floor struggling, Nyssa stood. "Now! Freeze him solid!" she ordered as Coldsnap and Mr. Freeze combined their ice powers to freeze Matt Hagan solid. Hagan yelled defiantly before being frozen solid into an icy statue within seconds. Freeze and Coldsnap halted their assault as the group slowly emerged to survey their handiwork.

"Well… he's down." Red Hood said carefully, slowly emerging before he straightened up. "That should hold him for a minute at least."

"I really don't think we should have stopped there. We should have kept going." Djinn frowned.

"He is frozen solid, my dear. His body's molecular composition already slows down tremendously merely being in the presence of the cold." Freeze countered. "A sustained blast like that, should keep him down for hours at the very least."

"Yeah, but his form was deteriorating already, remember? There's no guarantee that his molecules will still react the same way." She warned, turning to face them. None of them seemed to notice the small cracks forming along the frozen form of Matt Hagan behind them as she spoke.

"You're saying that his little meltdown might make him immune to freezing?" Karlo asked skeptically.

"Or at the very least, that it will be harder to freeze him for any length of time. I'd think you know as well as I do that you don't take chances with this sort of thing." She warned. As she spoke, Nyssa looked past her to Hagan's frozen body, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. As Nyssa focused on him, she noticed the spider-web cracks forming along the ice, and how they seemed to get bigger.

"No…" she whispered suddenly, calling everyone's attention. After another moment, Nyssa looked up at Djinn and Robin sharply. "Get out of there!"

She was too late with her warning, however, as Matt Hagan broke free of the ice before slamming Djinn across the cave and into the limestone wall with one massive swing of his arms. Robin attempted to throw more explosives at him, but was met with a backhanded strike into another wall.

Karlo rushed in, swinging his arms as massive maces to strike at Hagan's face over and over again, as the two men of mud got into a brawl. "Freeze him, now!" Karlo barked as he tried to hold Hagan down. "Do it!"

Freeze and Coldsnap hurried to respond, however Hagan had learned his lesson. All at once his clay exploded out and away from Karlo, leaving the Shadows' assassin to be the lone target of the cold blasts as he was frozen instead.

"No!" Nyssa yelled, not noticing as Hagan's body reformed behind her. The original Clayface chuckled darkly as he stared down at the startled assassin.

"Sorry sweetheart. Tell yer daddy this mission was a bust." He taunted before grasping her leg with his arm and slamming her into the floor. Red Hood shot numerous explosive rounds into his shoulder, disorienting him for a moment, however he swung Nyssa like a ragdoll to strike him, knocking him back into Djinn who was struggling to stand. He then flung the body of Nyssa into Freeze, taking both the German scientist and the archer out of the fight as well.

Coldsnap stared at him fearfully, seemingly alone in the fight. But her determination was strong as she gave a roar of defiance before summoning all of the cold she could to blast the monster in front of her. Her temperature was so low that clouds of icy fog billowed around Hagan as the beam struck him. The floor was covered in slick ice as the nearby walls were drenched in frost. However, it had seemingly no effect as Hagan still lumbered forward.

"Face it kid… You can't put me down now… not when I'm on the war path!" Hagan bellowed.

Niuhi grimaced before looking at the Lazarus Pit, and then back to Hagan. "I can't freeze you… but I can stop you reaching the Pit!" she yelled before blasting out ice again. Instead of attacking Hagan however, she instead froze the Lazarus Pit, sealing it off with a thick sheet of ice.

" **No!** " Hagan yelled angrily before he rushed forwards, colliding roughly with Niuhi before he grasped her body and flung her into the now frozen pit. She impacted the ice so hard she left a crack in the surface, before her body slid off the edge and down the steps, coming to a rest next to the frozen form of Basil Karlo.

Hagan panted heavily, his body wearing and aching under the effort he exerted. It suddenly rippled and bubbled as he collapsed to his knees in pain. "I'm not stopping. I'm so close… I will have that Pit!" he declared before slamming his hands into the ice over and over again, gradually making the cracks wider and wider. After a few impacts alone, he made a hole wide enough that he could reach a hand inside. He scooped out a handful of the water, gasping in relief at how it felt on his fingers. He then drank it ravenously, feeling immediately rejuvenated. "It's amazing… I need more! **MORE!** " he yelled madly before a disc suddenly flew into his shoulder before exploding. His head whirled around as his clay reformed, seeing Robin standing up. The teen clutched his ribs painfully, but he fought through it, fixing Hagan with a glare of murderous intent.

"Matt Hagan… alias, Clayface." The boy wonder rattled off. "Wanted for theft… property damage… impersonating an officer… multiple incidents of violent assault… evading arrest… and murder."

"Murder…?" Hagan asked in confusion before suddenly realizing what Robin meant. He looked at him incredulously before laughing. "Oh man, you're still hung up over that girl? Newsflash boy blunder, she wasn't real! She never was!"

"She was real to me!" Robin yelled back. "You're a murderer Hagan… a murderer and a coward! You should have died here! You deserve to die!"

"Those are some pretty brave words kid." Hagan said darkly as he stomped towards Robin. "Brave, and stupid. You barely have a leg to stand on. You have no hope of stopping me. But you know what? You won't have to." He said, moving his clay out of the way of another set of discs as he wrapped a hand around Robin's body, firmly trapping his arms against his sides as he lifted him up to eye level. "I ain't never committed murder before, but now? I'm kinda curious. And what better way to start than by ending Batman's precious wonder boy? Don't you worry about Annie kid… you'll be seeing her again real soon."

With that, he slowly started to crush Robin within his grasp, the teen letting out an anguished cry of pain. The sound caused Djinn and Red Hood to stir as they slowly stood up, watching in horror as Tim was slowly crushed within Hagan's grip. Nyssa, Freeze, and Coldsnap all stirred at this as well, watching helplessly, unable to do anything in time.

And then Hagan's arm exploded.

His clay ruptured as a massive ball of it surged from his chest. It wrapped firmly around Tim before flying off across the room and cushioning him as it fell to the ground. Tim groaned feebly, too weak to stand. But the clay around him slithered off before suddenly taking shape. Hagan reformed his body as best he could before looking on in shock as the clay that burst from him formed into the body of a teenage girl. She was as old as Robin, with dark brown hair in a bob cut. The clay formed itself into clothes for her as well, making a red cardigan sweater, yellow t-shirt, black mini skirt and black choker. Finally, she wore knee high socks with black flats.

She gently cupped Tim's face in her hands, giving him a look of compassion and longing, before she turned to Hagan with a look of pure hatred. "You hurt him… you will never hurt him again! You will never touch him!" she yelled as Hagan was left bewildered.

"B-but how…? This is impossible! I absorbed you! You don't exist!" He sputtered.

"I do exist Hagan. I'm a real girl. And I'm ready to put down a monster when I see one." She sneered before forming her hands into hammers as she flew forward, striking Hagan again and again without remorse. She didn't stop until he was a feebly stirring puddle of mud on the floor, smearing itself across the stone. "Freeze him again! Properly this time!" she demanded before Coldsnap and Freeze immediately took over, encasing Hagan in a massive block of ice. By the time they were done, Matt Hagan was trapped inside of a veritable glacier.

Once they believed him to be restrained suitably, Nyssa finally stood up before nodding in appreciation to Annie. "Thank you…"

Annie gave her a lone nod before returning to Tim's side, kneeling next to him as she took his vital signs. "He needs medical attention. We have to get him out of here."

"No, we don't." Nyssa corrected. "You've all done good work here… and I can't thank you all enough for your help. Please, use the Pit. It will heal him. It will heal all of you."

"Are you sure about this? Should you really be allowing us to use it?" Djinn frowned.

"Ra's need not know… what's important is that we saved it. There is no harm in you using it." She reasoned, before giving Freeze the faintest hint of a smile. "After all, Nora will be submerged momentarily as well."

"Yes, she will." Freeze nodded gratefully as Coldsnap limped over to the pool before grasping the ice sheet and tearing it off with one fluid motion.

"Get Tim in first, he needs it most." She said, tossing the ice aside as Annie picked up Robin and carried him to the water. He groaned and stirred lightly in her arms as his eyes fluttered open.

"A-Annie…? Is that you?"

"Yeah... it's me Tim." She smiled warmly. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too…" he smiled back before grimacing in pain. "I hurt all over though."

"Don't worry, you'll be okay." She assured him, carefully lowering him into the water. "It might feel a little overwhelming at first, but you'll feel better in seconds."

"Why can't it just make you feel… whelmed?" he asked rhetorically before laughing painfully as the water slowly rejuvenated him.

"Um… whelmed?" Annie asked in confusion.

"It's a Robin thing," Djinn explained. "You get used it."

* * *

After only a few minutes, everyone assembled had received a chance to submerge within the Pit and have their injuries healed. The crew waited another few moments to ensure Hagan was still immobilized, and to have Djinn dry their clothes and equipment with a spell. Karlo left with Freeze to retrieve his wife, meaning Nyssa remained behind with the team and Annie, who was currently firmly planted by Robin's side, refusing to leave him.

"I can't tell you how glad I am that you're back. I thought you were lost forever when Hagan…" he trailed off.

"I know… I never thought I would get out either. Thing is, when he… absorbed me… he didn't destroy my mind. I was still there. I saw everything. I heard everything. I was trapped in my mind. For all those years." She explained.

"And when Hagan started breaking down, you had the chance to escape." Djinn surmised. "But when he drank from the pit, it should have helped him. How was he still weak enough for you to escape?"

"Because he wasn't deteriorating." Annie revealed, shocking them. "His pain, his crumbling form? That was me fighting against him. I'd been biding my time, and for the last few weeks I'd been fighting back. Every time he bubbled or collapsed? That was him only barely keeping me restrained. He didn't even know I was in there still. The water of the pit didn't heal him, it just made me stronger. Hagan was unharmed. But it helped me to build my strength, to build my own clay."

"What about his sensitivity to the cold being reduced?" Nyssa asked. "Your mind fighting with him doesn't explain how he was resisting it."

"I'm not sure… But perhaps having two people fighting against it made the difference there." Annie admitted.

"In any case, I'm just glad to have you back." Robin smiled. "I gotta admit though, I never expected to see you grow up like this." He said. True to his words, Annie did appear older than the last time she saw him. In fact, she seemed to match his own age.

"Hey, my mind aged while I was trapped there. For all intents and purposes, I'm a teenager like you. My body just happens to match it now." She grinned. "It feels… nice to grow up."

"Where are you gonna go now?" Red Hood asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, where are you gonna live? You're a real girl now, but you'll need somewhere to live. Some way to build the life of the average teen." He explained.

"I don't want to leave Tim again. I just got him back." She said adamantly, hugging Robin's arm close. Robin fought to keep a blush off of his face, something that Keemia and Jason mentally filed away for later teasing.

"Well if that's the case, I don't see why you can't just live with him." Red Hood offered. "Batman gives us lodging, I'm sure he'd help you too."

"You really mean it?" he asked, her eyes alight with excitement.

"Yeah, I'm sure Robin would love to have you close by." Jason grinned, his face hidden by his helmet as Robin sent him a glare.

"That's a lovely shade of red on your face there Robin, are you feeling okay?" Coldsnap asked with a smirk. Annie suddenly shot to attention as she examined Robin carefully.

"You're right, he is red." She frowned, cupping his face gently. "Oh, you're burning up! Are you sick?" she asked.

"What? No! I'm fine." Robin assured her, while Djinn nudged Coldsnap's arm with her elbow.

"Oh he's some kind of sick alright," she grinned before the two girls collapsed into a fit of laughter. Red Hood held out for a second longer before he too started laughing. Even Nyssa broke into a small smile as Robin continued to fume at them.

"Actually, why don't you join the team?" Djinn offered once she stopped laughing. "I mean, you don't have to, but it would give you a chance to work with Robin more. Besides, based on your work here today, you could really do well. What do you say?"

Annie seemed to ponder her words before suddenly nodding excitedly. "Deal! I would love to work with you." She said.

"Well in that case, you'll need a codename. And a costume." Coldsnap pointed out.

"I think I can come up with something." She nodded before standing up straight and closing her eyes. Within seconds her appearance reverted to clay before her clothes shifted into a potential costume. It was a slate grey bodysuit that covered her whole body up to her neck. She possessed black elbow length gloves, and thigh-high black boots, with a gold trim. A wide, vertical black stripe ran from her neck down the front of her costume, and around her waist was a golden sash, tied off to the side like a belt. Finally, on her face was a black domino styled mask, while her hair was tied back into a short ponytail. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"I think it looks great. You might want it to be actual clothes though." Djinn pointed out.

"Yeah, because without those you're technically naked clay, aren't you?" Coldsnap nodded, causing Annie to suddenly flush a dark red.

"Not to worry. Karlo's own clothes were designed to form around his body, thanks to a material pioneered by Wayne Enterprises. As long as you can get your hands on that, you should be fine." Nyssa pointed out.

"There! No need to worry then." Hood nodded. "So, what's your codename gonna be?"

Annie cupped her chin in thought before Robin spoke up. "How about, Mannequin?" he suggested. Annie gasped lightly before smiling.

"It's perfect! My name will be Mannequin!" she decided before the telltale footsteps of Freeze and Karlo could be heard descending the staircase.

"Alright, we have Nora." Karlo said as he and Freeze moved the ice holding Nora over to the edge of the pool. She looked virtually unchanged from when she was moved into the truck earlier.

"Sorceress…. Please thaw her quickly. We can't afford to waste any time in getting her into that pool, considering her condition." Freeze asked Djinn, his voice desperate.

"Alright, just be ready to catch her," she urged him as magic swirled around her fingers. " **Evomer aron seirf morf eht eci.** " She cast as the ice disappeared and Nora's body fell into Freeze's arms. He carefully laid her down in the water, and waited for the healing of the Pit to work.

It took a few seconds, but soon enough Nora burst forth from the water, gasping and sputtering for air. "Wh-where am I? What has happened?" she asked, still in shock. "Victor? Victor where are you?!"

"I'm here, I'm right here Nora…" his voice said, threatening to break as he saw his wife well once more.

"I… I'm awake. The last thing I remember was you freezing me… until you could find a cure." She said before noticing the suit he wore. "What are you wearing? What's happened to you?"

"That was so long ago Nora… almost ten years ago." Victor sighed. "I healed your condition with the Lazarus Pit of Ra's al Ghul. This suit… is keeping me alive. There was an accident while I attempted to cure you. A lab accident with the chemicals. I can no longer survive outside of sub-zero temperature."

"Oh Victor…" she whispered, climbing from the pool as she gently cupped her hand on the dome of his glass helmet. "Please tell me this is all that's befallen you."

Freeze was silent at that, before he gave a long and beleaguered sigh, and told Nora everything that had transpired. His tireless research efforts, the funding being cut, the laboratory accident, his turn to crime to fund further research, his blackmail, and the attempted breakout. Everything up until the present moment he had freed her. "I am willing to atone Nora… I am ready to face the justice that I must. Because you are safe. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe."

"Victor my love, you are too kind a man." She whispered kindly, pressing her forehead against his dome. "If you are to go back to prison I will understand. But I shall be fighting for you to be released. And barring that… I shall visit every day. I shall make sure you are still loved. You are a good man Victor Fries."

He smiled lovingly before opening his dome to give her a brief, but searing kiss. He closed the dome again once they parted before he helped her to stand, as her legs were still weak from lack of use during her stasis. "I suppose, that you will want to turn me in now?" he asked the team.

"Well, considering the situation with Nora, we might need more than just the police for this to help us. Add Annie into the mix, and we should probably just call Batman for help." Djinn reasoned.

"If you are to be contacting the Batman, there is one last thing I would ask of you." Nyssa said. Djinn eyed her with suspicion, not sure what to make of it.

"Really? Another job for us? Are we just some convenience for you? Remember, you were ready to kill us only an hour ago." She scoffed.

"Yeah, maybe we were. But this time, it doesn't have to do with us. It's to help someone else." Karlo countered before looking back at the door. "You can come in now, it's okay." He called, as the team turned, prepping themselves for whoever would step through.

What they weren't prepared for, was a twelve year old girl. Her hair was dark and grew to her shoulders, looking incredibly mussed up. Her skin was paler than normal, and she wore a plain black jumpsuit. Her feet and hands were bare, and she regarded the team warily as she suddenly froze mid-step. Seeing her hesitation, Karlo stepped forwards, taking her hand kindly.

"It's okay. They're friends. They're here to help you," he assured her as the girl gave him an unsure glance, before she continued forwards, still holding onto his hand tightly.

"Who… is that?" Hood asked carefully.

"This, is Cassandra… Cassandra Cain." Nyssa said carefully. "We've rescued her from the Shadows."

"Cassandra Cain? As in David Cain, the infamous assassin?" Robin asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Cassandra is his daughter." Nyssa confirmed.

"Dare we ask who her mother was?" Coldsnap frowned.

"We don't know. We were never informed. As far as we know, only Ra's and her parents know her mother's identity." Karlo sighed.

"You mentioned that you saved her from the Shadows?" Djinn said, as Nyssa nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, we did. Cassandra was born to be a weapon. She was denied her childhood in favour of making her the perfect weapon for the Shadows to use. The perfect assassin." She revealed, as the teens blanched in horror. "She was raised from birth to know any and all forms of lethal combat. Pressure point attacks, weapons training, martial arts. Nothing was off limits. But, to keep her under their control, she cannot speak."

"She can't speak?" Djinn asked, dreading the answer.

"No. Ra's believed that if she knew any language, she would be able to rebel. As such, she was forbidden to be talk how to speak, how to read, or how to write. The only reason she understands us speaking English is because we taught her in secret." Karlo added. "She understands body language like you wouldn't believe though. She could see your left arm twitch and know exactly what item you were about to grab even before you do."

"The issue became when she was given her first trial. Ra's set up a scenario for her to fight and ultimately kill a target. What he did not anticipate was Cassandra fearing his death throes." Nyssa sighed, looking down. "Being fluent in body language she was able to discern life signs. Not being able to see them horrified her. It was only increased when she realised her actions caused it."

The team looked to Cassandra sympathetically, and she seemed to shy away from their glances, not wanting to look at them. Nyssa walked over to the girl and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before she continued speaking. "Ra's believed her a failure of her purpose. An assassin who would not kill is not an assassin worth keeping. He asked us to abandon her in Gotham, hoping she would just die on the streets. But we were not about to do such a thing. We were intending to turn her in to the police so that they might help her. But if you could take her in…"

"… Then Batman would be able to provide her with a proper home. One safely away from the Shadows." Red Hood surmised.

"Precisely." Nyssa nodded. "For all of the ire we feel towards the Batman, we cannot deny that she would be safest under his care."

"We'll do it." Red Hood said adamantly, without a second thought. "She will not be found by the Shadows while we care for her."

Nyssa and Karlo both breathes sighs of relief hearing that answer. "Thank you, you have earned our respect. And our gratitude. When the Batman asks what occurred here tonight, just inform him that Freeze broke out to save his wife using the Pit. Once he knows it exists, he will put up security to keep it safe, and it should suffice for him." Nyssa said as she made to leave. Karlo moved to follow her but was held back by Cassandra holding onto his hand, her eyes looking at him with fear and longing.

"Hey, it's okay kid. I'll be back soon for a visit. And when I do, I'll have new stories to tell you." He assured her, before Cassandra nodded reluctantly and hugged him close. He chuckled and hugged her back, before looking at the team. "Cass has thought of me like her older brother ever since she's known me, and I won't lie, it's grown on me quite a bit as well."

"That's sweet." Djinn nodded as Cassandra reluctantly let go of Karlo. With one last nod from him, she slowly made her way to Djinn who held out a gentle hand to her. Cass stared at it, unsure at first, before gently grasping it in her own. "We'll take good care of her. We promise."

Karlo stood slowly before forming a new form to disguise himself with, as he lifted the frozen block of ice that held Hagan. "Thank you. It means a lot that you would do this." He said before walking to the door. Before he exited, he looked back at the teens with a questioning gaze. "There is talk within the Shadows of dissent and distrust. Some of the agents may wish to break free from their masters, and become more autonomous. If this happens, there could be a minor war of sorts." He warned them. "But, if it does happen, you can bet that I will be back for Cass, and I will wish to stay with her."

"Just don't do anything drastic." Robin urged him seriously. With one last nod of understanding, Karlo finally left after Nyssa. There was the echoing noise from upstairs of the van being started up, before it disappeared into the night. With the Shadows' agents now gone, the team left to move upstairs, followed closely by Cass, Freeze, Annie, and Nora.

It was awkward to say the least, but once they reached the outside of the Yuyan building, Djinn was quick to put a finger on her communicator. "Batman, this is Djinn. Please meet us at the Yuyan building ASAP. We have a lot to go over with you."

There was a moment of silence before he answered. "Copy that. I'll be arriving momentarily." He said. Soon enough, the telltale light of the teleporter flashed as Batman appeared standing ten feet away from the ragtag group. To say he was surprised to see them was an understatement.

"Nora Fries…?" he asked, before seeing Victor Fries standing next to her, seemingly unfazed by Batman's presence.

"I wish to surrender myself back to Arkham, Batman. Nora is safe, the reign of Mr. Freeze is over." He said. Batman's eyes widened slightly, the most surprise that he could be capable of showing at any point of time. After hearing Freeze surrender, he then saw the two girls standing with the team. One had her arms wrapped around Robin's, while the second was seemingly hiding from him behind Djinn. Upon seeing them, his eyes once again narrowed suspiciously.

"Start talking."

* * *

 **Nanda Parbat – September 27** **th** **19:41 CST**

"Well? Is it finished?" Ra's al Ghul asked as he saw Nyssa and Karlo enter into his private quarters. Talia and Sensei stood on either side of him, each impassive as they awaited the answer of the agents.

"It is done father. Hagan has been apprehended." Nyssa said, bowing reverently to Ra's and Karlo did likewise.

"Bring him in then," Ra's requested. Karlo gave a curt nod before stepping outside of the room and returning with the partially thawed block of ice that held Matt Hagan. He dropped it on the floor, shattering the ice and freeing the man made of clay. Hagan struggled to regain his form, and kept collapsing into a pile of sludge on the floor.

"Ugh… my head hurts…" Hagan groaned painfully.

"More than that will hurt, soon enough." Ra's threatened, as Hagan now looked at him fearfully. "Get him to the basement chamber. Inform Princess Maru that she has a new test subject." He smirked as Karlo easily restrained Hagan and dragged him away.

"No, let me go! Don't take me to her! No, **NO!** " he begged, his voice fading into the distance the further away they grew.

Ra's allowed himself to chuckle at the man's misfortune before he cast an inquisitive eye onto Nyssa. "And the girl? Was she disposed of?" he asked.

Nyssa stared back at her master, unflinchingly. "Yes, father. She was left in the slums where the drug runners are known to operate. Not even the Batman dares to tread there. If she has not yet been killed, she will be soon."

"Good." He nodded, his voice cutting through the silence that followed Nyssa like the sharpest blade. "As you know, the Shadows does not abide by failures. With her gone, we can instead focus, on our successes." He smirked before turning to look at another young figure. This one was a young boy, with short, jet-black hair. His eyes were hardened, and he stared at Ra's impassively. "Behold, the legacy of the Shadows; my Grandson, Damian."

* * *

 **And done! Hopefully this works okay as a pseudo-interpretation of the Season of Infamy.**

 **I will admit, most of this was just to go through and do some housekeeping and set up future characters, as well as fix a plot hole I left over from Sandman Unlimited. Speaking of which, let's address this housekeeping!:**

 **Basil Karlo: This one comes entirely from the plot hole I mentioned. See in Sandman Unlimited when Flint met Clayface, I referred to them as Basil Karlo. The big problem with that is the fact that the JLU Clayface was Matt Hagan, and not Basil. While I could chalk that up to just being an error on my part, I wanted to try and mend that, so I did that here. Since Flint might not reasonably know about Clayface's true identity, it's a reasonable thing for me to try I would think. Basil and Matt are just both actors now. And operated at pseudo the same time. And some people will inevitably think I planned this from the beginning. And if that question ever pops up; yes. That's exactly what I planned.**

 **Nyssa: Partially from her Season of Infamy incarnation. She's not entirely evil, just... kind of. In a way. Don't expect her to work with the team again in the future unless the situation becomes too dire. She just doesn't like the notion of children being murdered, so naturally she would want the team to keep Cassandra alive. Other than that, they were a means to an end. Nothing more.**

 **Annie: If you've followed this series up to now, you know I have a habit of saving characters. Deadman, The Shade, Supergirl, Ace, and now Annie. They now have more satisfying endings. Hopefully, at least. "Growing Pains" is one of my favourite episodes, and honestly I just wanted to use her again. Especially to get a rise out of Tim. And now I can ship her with Tim again. Some of you might ask, "But what about Stephanie? You introduced her recently, and she usually gets shipped with Tim.", and to that I say: She will have another pairing in mind. As for who...**

 **Cassandra Cain: I've wanted her to show up for a while. She is an adorable character, and she will take the place of Barbara as Batgirl in "Season 2". She is also another big reason for Basil to be around. I loved her interactions with him in the recent string of Detective Comics. They had an adorable and incredibly heart-warming connection with each other. I wanted to explore that more here. Expect Basil to be an uneasy ally in the future, if only for Cass' sake. She still can't talk. At least, not really. But at least she understands English.**

 **Mr. Freeze: Has officially retired. He is no longer an active rogue. He was only ever attempting to save Nora's life. And now that job is done. He will no longer commit crimes. He can finally rest.**

 **The League of Shadows: Has even more members than expected. So many deadly agents, so little time. And I get to sneak both Doctor Poison and Copperhead in? Yes please!**

 **Damian: Will return later...**

 **Hopefully that clears up any and all confusion regarding the choices made in this chapter! There will be more original ideas to come down the pipeline in the future. I just need to work out how and where to implement them.**

 **In the meantime, the next episode? Things get intense. Shit is really gonna hit the fan. Giant plant monsters attack, the League is spread thin, and villains unite to earn billions of dollars. The Team is the only group capable of stopping this villainous threat at their source. But there's a clown in the way... a clown in need of a return to his proper Mark Hamill form...**

 **Next time on Alchemic Justice... _Revelation_!**

 **As always, be sure to read and review. I appreciate each and every one.**

 **Ciao for now!  
**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


	15. Revelation

**Well... that was certainly a long hiatus. A very... very long hiatus...**

 **Allow me to begin this with an apology to you guys. I can only hope you're still waiting for my next chapter. I wouldn't blame you for moving on at this point. As for my absence, my mental health had taken a toll recently. And with a recent move, in addition to the start of university again, and my own participation in NaNoWriMo, my poor little brain child here was on the back burner for far too long. But I can't thank you guys enough for sticking through it with me, if you're still around that is. I appreciate you all like you wouldn't believe.**

 **Hopefully everyone's had an enjoyable holiday season, and a Happy New Year. We're in a new decade now, so let's make this a good one!**

 **Like I said before, I can't thank you guys enough for sticking around here with me this long. I appreciate all of your reviews, they really are a great motivator to me. Speaking of which, time to look at them!:**

 **Mysterygirl145: Well I'm glad that the previous chapter lived up to the hype for you. Hopefully this one was worth the wait as well... But I digress. I definitely agree that Mark Hamill is the best Joker. And his return shall be glorious. His dialogue was certainly fun.**

 **xbox432: Well, yeah, but to be fair most DC content has ended up anachronistic at best, and apocryphal at worst. Do the pits take a toll on a person's sanity? Yes they do. But I figured I could let it slide for the sake of the narrative here. As for people knowing about them, that is a problem. At keast the circle here's been kept small.**

 **Fun fact though, Death actually doesn't mind the pits. She doesn't even care about people coming back to life. She sees it as them having temporary stays with her. They'll be back to her eventually, so she needn't worry.**

 **I can't thank you enough for your kind words regarding Annie's return, and the closure for Victor and Nora. I honestly dislike how DC has been repeatedly making Nora a villain just so Victor can suffer. They deserve their happy endings, dammit!**

 **darthwolf: Damn right, Cassandra is adorable! And no, it isn't actually hypocritical. See, Cass was gonna be killed by Ra's for her "Failure" as it were. Damian, hasn't failed. Nyssa rescued Cass so she wouldn't be killed, not because she didn't want Cass to be a killer. I definitely will be balancing the tables though.**

 **gordhanx: Thank you very much for your kind words, and for a very impartial review. I will agree that insert stories aren't as interesting as they used to be, I'm glad to hear that you found mine to be enjoyable. It's been a lot of fun changing up the way Young Justice works now that it's in the DCAU, and I hope that you'll continue with this story in the future.**

 **7-Eleventh: I'm glad to see that I can still surprise my fans with twists and turns in my story. Annie coming back was something I'd planned for sure, and I definitely think that the execution was well-received. As for the Injustice League expansion, I think you'll like it ;)**

 **Dion ComicWiz: My friend, I can't tell you enough just how much I appreciate your comments each and every time. A double-bill of chapter reviews was the perfect way to lift my spirits throughout this whole process. Chapter Thirteen and the "betrayal" within were definitely something I was glad to see get well-recieved. I had to do some careful managing in order to make it work with the expanded cast. And how could I not go crazy with easter eggs? They're my favourite part. Expect more in the future. The Brotherhood of Dada are my newest delight to write for, and i just can't get enough of them. We really need more of them in the future, and I hope to deliver that. I definitely agree with you about Alan Tudyk's voice though. No need to worry about Terry and Beast Boy, they'll be coming...**

 **Ah chapter fourteen... Well, I'm glad my last minute patch-job for the plot hole was well-received as well. I must admit I was kicking myself when I first found it, but my workaround? I'm happy it worked out. Adapting the Season of infamy as a personal challenge was really dun to tackle, and I'm hoping for more similar challenges in the future. It keeps me on my toes and more flexible as an author I think. Cass and Basil's relation ship, and Nyssa's questionable morals were all so fun to explore, and I'm glad that you're celebrating Annie's return as much as I am. Freeze and Nora definitely deserve theri happy ending. As for the "Batman: SubZero" plothole... I'm considering it Apocryphal. As much as I like that movie, the fact that Freeze STILL doesn't get a happy ending after all that rubs me the wrong way. I want happy endings, dammit!**

 **Thank you again for your kind words though. Hopefully I can find more after posting this chapter.**

 **kuriboh1233: Hey, better late than never.**

 **Thank you one and all for all of your kinds words! I hope to see even more after this chapter!**

 **Speaking of which, disclaimer time: I own nothing but the original concept and a few OCs. Keemia Marko and all associated characters are owned by Marvel and therefore Disney. Young Justice and all related characters are owned by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Please support the official releases.**

 **And now, onto the grand return! Of both this fic, and MARK HAMILL AS THE JOKER!**

* * *

 **Metropolis – October 1** **st** **, 07:55 EDT**

Clark Kent hummed to himself softly, checking the time on his watch as he walked down the bustling early morning streets of Metropolis. His shift wasn't due to start until nine, and his cousin Kara had invited him out to get breakfast before work. With recent League duties leaving them with little time to socialize, Clark immediately jumped at the opportunity and accepted her offer. Kara told him to meet at her apartment at eight, and she would walk him down to a small café nearby that they could try.

He frowned to himself slightly as he continued, passing a young woman who was walking her small dog, as Kara's apartment complex came into view. For the last few weeks she had been rather icy towards him, and it all led back to what he had said regarding his… clone. Clark inwardly sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Superboy, or Conner as the other kids referred to him, was still a hot topic among the League.

Most of the other members thought positively of the boy or, at the very least, were indifferent to him. But Clark was still unnerved by it all. There was just something about Conner that he couldn't abide by, no matter how hard he thought about it. Kara knew this, and her own care for Superboy seemed to be driving a wedge between them.

But now, there was a chance to mend some bridges. A nice quiet breakfast with his cousin so that they could catch up would be the perfect way to get back into a relative sense of normalcy. He entered the building before climbing the staircases up to Kara's room on the fourth floor. Clark couldn't remember the last time he was here. It seemed so long ago now that Kara was rooming with Barbara Gordon while the redhead spent time studying in Metropolis. A favour which was returned in kind to his cousin when she needed a place to stay in Gotham during the Thanagarian invasion so many years ago.

He was broken out of his reminiscing as he arrived at her apartment and knocked on the door. Not even two seconds later, Kara had the door open, looking at him expectantly. She was dressed in a white blouse with a long, pleated khaki skirt. Her usual attire for her day job at CatCo. Worldwide Media, "Hey cousin, long time no see."

"It certainly feels long," Clark chuckled before he leaned forward and captured his cousin in a close hug. He was happy to feel her hugging him back before slowly releasing her from his arms. "Ready to go for breakfast?"

"Almost, just give me one second. Care to step into the living room while I finish up?" she offered, stepping aside to let him in. Clark wasted no time and walked in, his own naiveté driving him forward. He was just stepping into the room when he realised something was wrong. He heard the lock clicking shut behind him, before he saw the others sitting in her living room. Flint was there waiting for him, alongside Peter Parker and Karen Starr. None of them looked too pleased with him.

"Flint, what is this? Why are you here?" Clark asked with a frown, dreading their answers.

"I'm here to talk Clark. We all are." He said simply, leaning forwards in his seat. "Just be glad Lois isn't here for this. We almost called her too."

"This is an intervention." Kara said, entering the room with an expectant look on her face. "We need to talk about how you're treating Conner."

He stiffened at the mention of his clone, his fists involuntarily clenching. "Look, if this is about me ignoring him…"

"It's about more than that, Clark." Karen cut in, her eyes narrowed. "You're not just ignoring him, you're treating him like he's not even there!"

"That's not… No! That's not it at all!" Clark said weakly, reeling back like he'd been slapped. In a way, he almost had been.

"Then why are you never present for him? Any time he's around you find any excuse you can to leave. And you never have anything good to say to him. Nothing to help him!" Peter frowned. "He needs you! He's your clone. Like it or not, he needs you in his life!"

"Clark, if you're worried about the intentions used to make him, we understand." Kara said sympathetically, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Karen was the same way once. Cadmus made her too. But she grew past what they wanted. Conner's grown past it too. He's not their weapon."

"You're almost a father to him Clark." Flint nodded, his face growing softer. "I know that you and Lois are looking towards starting a family of your own someday, but the fact of the matter is that you had a family right there with Conner. He could still be your son." Flint said before standing up. "I've adopted him already, but I know that he'd like to move in with you if you'd only let him. Keemia loves having him as a foster brother, but I think he'd like having you as a father more."

This was a bitter pill for Clark to swallow. He remembered when he first found out about Flint adopting Conner, he felt such a mix of different emotions. But most of all, he felt… envy. He let his own feelings cloud his judgement and he had lost what basically a son to him. He always secretly yearned to fix that but, he was so unsure of how. Would Conner even accept it at this point?

The four watched Clark struggle internally with this conflict, before the man of steel slowly raised his head to them. "You're… right. You're all right… I let my judgement be clouded by feelings that I can't even defend." He said slowly, before letting out a sigh. "How… do I make this right?" he asked.

"By being honest, and making an attempt to connect." Peter said before reaching into his wallet and pulling out a photo. It was of Peter, and two men who looked almost identical to him. Albeit, one was blonde, and the other had longer hair, and a brutal scar under his left eye. "These are my brothers, Ben and Kaine. They're clones, just like Conner. I admit that at first, I was afraid of them. Honestly, I treated them far worse than you were ever treating Conner, but now? They're some of the closest friends I could ever ask for. They are family to me. All I had to do, was try."

"We'll help you with this Clark. We'll make sure that you and Conner work through everything. And who knows? Maybe you and Lois can welcome him into the family soon enough." Kara offered.

"Thank you… all of you." Clark nodded, a genuine smile washing over his face as he felt hope swell in his chest.

"Hey, anything for family." Kara said with a small chuckle. "Now come on, wipe that gloom off your face. If we hurry, maybe the five of us can enjoy a breakfast together." She offered. Clark's mood immediately picked up as the five went to the door to leave.

Before they could make any progress however, the ground suddenly shook violently before screaming could be heard from further down the block. Clark was the first to recover, as he used his x-ray vision to see a massive plant with writhing vines erupt from the concrete before immediately attacking the surrounding buildings.

"Might have to put our breakfast on hold for a bit." Clark grimaced, removing his glasses. "We got some trouble downtown."

"We're right behind you," Flint nodded as he shifted his sand to his usual hero attire while Kara rushed off to change. "Hey Webs, feeling like joining us for this one?" he asked.

"Hey, you don't have to ask me twice." Peter smirked before he and Karen went to go change into Spider-Man and Power Girl respectively. Then, the five heroes took off before engaging the massive writhing plant as it continued to ravage its surroundings. Spider-Man and Supergirl set about moving civilians away from danger, while Superman, Power Girl, and Sandman immediately engaged the threat.

As the five set to work, they all had the same thought on their minds; what was this plant, and where did it come from?

* * *

"Lovely… our test is a complete success…" a sultry feminine voice said, as footage of the plant's attack could be seen from a surveillance screen. Several more plants erupted in cities worldwide, before the owner of the voice continued. "We may proceed as planned."

"Agreed," a cultured, Eastern-European voice answered her. "But we've operated in shadow for far too long. Time for the Injustice League, to step into the light…"

* * *

 **Mount Justice – October 1** **st** **, 18:13 EDT**

Kaldur dodged quickly to the side, avoiding a kick from Tim, as the two sparred on the holographic sparring platform of the cave. Nearby, a digital scoreboard was keeping track of how many blows each boy had managed to land. The two kept going back and forth, neither one giving too much of a lead to their opponent. Tim tried a flurry of well-aimed blows, only managing to land one glancing punch to Kaldur's arm, before the Atlantean responded in kind with a jab at Tim's solar plexus. Seeing how the distance had closed far too fast for his comfort, Tim back-flipped away to safety to prepare his next move.

Nearby to the two sparring teens, Shazam watched the two, eating one of Barry's energy bars. Zatanna stood next to him, her arms folded as she watched the two with a smirk. Tim deflected one of Kaldur's punches with an open fist before attempting an uppercut. Kaldur dodged nimbly before copying Tim's earlier backflip to make some distance between them.

The two opponents squared-off, their eyes fixed on any move that might be made, before suddenly ending their spar as the sound of footprints drew closer. Conner, M'Gann, and Wolf walked down one of the hallways together, Conner flashing a warm smile towards the Martian girl. In return her own eyes seemed to sparkle faintly, clearly love struck.

Kaldur watched their silent interaction with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "You know they're a couple, right?" Tim asked, leaning in with a smirk. Kaldur rolled his eyes before giving a small smirk of his own.

"I believe I knew before they did." He mused before Keemia and Ashley followed behind Conner and M'Gann down the same hall. The two girls were holding hands and seemed to be giggling quietly about something. Keemia then got a devious grin as she whispered something into Ashley's ear, causing the shorter girl to blush a dark shade of red before the two broke into more laughter.

"Guess everyone on the team is becoming a couple now." Tim noted before turning to see Niuhi and Jason approaching them. Jason seemed to hear everything that Tim had said as he fixed the sidekick with a flat glare.

"Don't even think about it." He said bluntly.

"Think about what? I wasn't gonna say anything." Tim chuckled, feigning innocence. Before he could continue, Annie suddenly rushed in and caught him in a tight hug.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jason asked Niuhi as the two seemed to smirk deviously.

"Don't even think about it." Tim threatened.

"Think about what? I wasn't gonna say anything." Jason said in a mocking tone, before Niuhi jabbed him in the ribs gently.

"Alright, quit pickin' on Robin." She relented. "Focus on how cute they are instead." She said before pointing out how Conner and M'Gann were staring at each other intently. They did this rather often, apparently having entire telepathic conversations with each other that nobody on the team knew about.

"What do you think they're saying, anyway?" Tim asked.

"Something romantic probably!" Annie gushed. Despite being a newcomer to the team, she was quick to learn about the blossoming romance between Conner and M'Gann. In fact, the only people who didn't seem to know about it were Barry and Artemis. A fact that everyone else was leery over, considering how much pining Barry and Artemis did for M'Gann and Conner respectfully.

The two in question were the last to appear, walking down the hallways from where the lounge was, as the assembled group turned to look at them. Inwardly, they all wondered the same thing; what exactly was going to happen when they finally learned about Conner and M'Gann.

"Do we tell them?" Tim asked Kaldur.

"It is not our place." Kaldur said, shaking his head.

Niuhi watched the speedster and the archer approach before getting an idea as she leaned in closer to Jason. "I can see what's happening…" she sang quietly.

"What?" Jason asked, confused.

"And they don't have a clue…"

"Who?" Annie asked her with a frown.

"They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line; our trios down to two!" Niuhi finished with a laugh before Jason rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, first of all there are eleven of us. Unless you're counting them as couples, in which case there are seven-" He corrected before turning to look at Tim and Annie. "Maybe five, who are not currently in a relationship."

"And that's assuming they would end up a couple anyway." Tim chimed in.

"Are you saying they wouldn't?" Niuhi asked rhetorically. Before anyone could respond, Barry and Artemis finally made it over to them.

"So if Zatanna is our babysitter of the week, why is he still here?" He asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Shazam. "And why is he eating my snacks?!"

Before anyone could answer him, the teleporter suddenly flared to life. " _Recognized: Batman-02_." The automated voice announced as Batman strode into the cave, his body stiff and ready for action. Something was urgently wrong. "Computer, national news." Batman ordered as a massive holoscreen appeared in the middle of the mission room. The rest of the team gathered around to watch the news report with interest, as reporter Cat Grant was on scene in downtown Metropolis. "The initial attack was short lived, but Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve." She announced before footage showed another one of the giant plant monsters growing from nearby to the Daily Planet. One camera zoomed in to show Superman rushing in to save civilians, while Power Girl and Supergirl took to the sky to blast the tendrils with heat vision, now joined by John Stewart and Hawkgirl.

"And despite the intervention of Superman and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight." Cat finished before Batman stopped the footage of the League's battle with the giant plants. He then turned to see the team looking at him in earnest.

"Should we get out there?" Tim asked.

"No. The League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here." Batman corrected before typing on a holographic keyboard to display an image of Sportsmaster. "According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied CADMUS Blockbuster formula to Kobra."

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to create Kobra-Venom." Barry added, the wheels starting to turn in his head as he considered the possibilities.

"Which the Brain used to create his animal army!" Tim continued.

"And upgrade Wolf." Superboy chimed in as he scratched his new pet's chin affectionately.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars, like the ones at Belle Reve penitentiary." M'Gann pointed out.

"Batman," Artemis started. "Is it possible that plan thingy's on Kobra-Venom too?"

"I had Hal Jordan run a spot analysis." Batman said before typing away and showing an image of plant cells and an all too familiar chemical formula. "The vine's cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra-Venom variant."

"These cannot be coincidences." Kaldur surmised. "Unrelated criminals are cooperating with each other worldwide." He continued, as Tim brought up his own keyboard and began typing away.

"Exactly." Batman nodded curtly. "It's now clear our enemies have formed yet another Secret Society of Super-Villains."

"Ugh, another one? How many has this been now, like five, six?" Keemia groaned in annoyance before Zatanna elbowed her gently in admonishment.

Batman gave Keemia a flat stare before continuing. "The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning."

"You got that right," Tim nodded as he called up numerous more screens with footage from around the world. On each of them, there was a giant vine much like the first. "Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Miami, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Taipei…" he listed off before suddenly every news screen abruptly cut off, now displaying only static.

"Dude!" Barry said sharply as Tim shook his head. None of the heroes were expecting this. Even Batman was surprised by the sudden interference.

"It's not me, someone's cutting into the satellite signal." Tim countered, typing furiously as he tried to get the signal back. "All satellite signals!"

The static continued to blare before the group all heard the same bout of maniacal laughter. It started out slow and quiet, but quickly grew louder, as the source seemed to become more and more enthralled with the sudden confusion. To everyone in the room, the laughter was all too familiar.

"No… anyone but him…" Ace whispered fearfully, as Keemia immediately pulled her close in an attempt to comfort and protect her.

Finally, the picture returned, only to display an unwelcome sight. A man with bleached white skin and dark green hair. He wore a sharp purple suit, and his lips were a deep scarlet, stretched over a wide and manic grin. His eyes were crazed, and yet at the same time very amused. The Clown Prince of Crime, also known as the Joker, had hacked the satellite feed.

He cleared his throat before giving a winning smile. "Hello dear viewers! After eight long years off the air, Joker TV is back! There aren't any little telepaths to stop me now either, so get ready for more of your favourite Gotham brand deranged wackiness! But first ladies and germs, a message from our sponsors, and my dearest co-producers of our little comeback special…" he trailed off before panning the camera to a group of assembled villains. "The Injustice League!"

There were nine members shown, and each one sent a chill down the spines of the heroes watching. First was a tall, vampiric looking man, with magical red armour, a flowing black cape, coarse thick beard, red eyes, and pale blue skin; the chaos sorcerer Wotan. Next to him stood a lithe and feline woman, in a two piece outfit of a sports bra and black leggings. She had dark orange hair, and was covered in dirty blonde fur with dark brown spots, and a long striped tail. This was Barbara Minerva, alias Cheetah. Atomic Skull stood behind her. His gold and green armour relatively unchanged ever since he fought the parademons alongside the Justice League so long ago, his exposed skull still surrounded by crackling green flames.

Behind him was a large white ape. His head was bald, exposing an enlarged braincase, and his eyes held a bemused confidence. This was Ultra-Humanite, a long time Justice League foe. In front of him was a bald man with thick orange goggles and wearing numerous layers of fire retardant clothing, with a heavy brown jacket over top. On his back were two large fuel tanks, connected to a gun he held that seemed to be a futuristic flamethrower. This was Mick Rory, alias Heatwave. Next to him was a fearsomely strong looking man. He had elfin ears, short black hair, and his entire body seemed to be covered in burling muscles. He wore a tight black suit with a golden thunderbolt on his chest and a golden sash around his waist; the fallen servant of the Rock of Eternity, Black Adam. Next to him were two red haired women. One was taller than even Adam, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a yellow and black jumpsuit. Despite her plain appearance, she seemed to radiate power. The other woman had green skin and seemed to quite literally wear an entire array of green leaves and plants. These were Dr. Doris Zeul, aka Giganta, and Dr. Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.

Finally, at the center of the ensemble was an aristocratic looking man. His jawline was sharp, and his blonde hair swept back over his head. He wore an expensive looking green suit, with a long regal looking cape that hung over his shoulders, held across his body by a gold chain that hung over his green silken scarf. This was Count Werner Vertigo, a long-time rival of Green Arrow, and an international despot. Vertigo smirked triumphantly before speaking. "We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them, a ransom of ten billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit, but the longer your governments wait…" he trailed off before the Joker spun the camera around again so he could peer in with a smile.

"The longer your world gets destroyed by the machinations of evil flora puppeteered by a certifiably insane criminal wackjob! So hop to it folks, Joker TV needs to get back on the air for good! Don't you worry about those big bad plants, I've got the remotes for them. So sit back and enjoy the show, because we all know what a stand-up citizen I am. Ha ha ha!" Joker finished before once again laughing maniacally as the feed suddenly cut back to static.

As soon as it ended, Batman immediately pressed a finger to the communicator in his ear, listening intently to whoever was on the other side. "Roger that, Aquaman. The UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback. But it won't come to that." Batman said seriously, as Tim furiously typed away on the keyboard, rewinding the video before pausing as soon as the Injustice League's full roster was on screen.

"Count Vertigo, the Joker, Heatwave, Giganta, Poison Ivy, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Cheetah, Black Adam, Wotan, _ten_ heavy hitters. Probably behind nearly everything and everyone we've faced." Tim surmised.

"There's your Secret Society." Barry grimaced.

"And it's one hell of a lineup too." Niuhi frowned, her whole body tensing at the thought.

"Not so secret anymore." Artemis said dryly.

"Perhaps after India, they realised we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer." Kaldur reasoned.

"Yeah, and that was their mistake." Barry smirked, before punching the palm of his left hand eagerly. "Right now, I say we got kick some plant creature butt!"

"The Justice League will handle the plants." Batman corrected. "I have a different job for this team."

"Aw man…" Barry whined before Artemis jabbed his arm with her elbow. "Ow!"

"With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously, there must be a central control system." Batman said simply. "Your mission, is to destroy it."

"You realise what you're really asking them to do…" Zatanna said, her voice filled with worry and apprehension.

"They're ready." Batman responded simply, looking back at one of his oldest friends in the League as the sorceress gave a careful nod of her head.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Barry asked dumbly, before Artemis elbowed him again. "Ow! Will you cut that out?"

"Hello, Barry!" the archer chided him. "If the big guns are fighting the plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?"

"I don't know! I guess we'll…" he trailed off before following where Artemis' finger was pointing at the image of the Injustice League. His eyes widened in understanding as he gulped slightly. "Oh…"

Ashley still seemed noticeably uncomfortable at the prospect of confronting the Joker again, as Keemia gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's okay. I'll keep you safe out there. You won't even have to go near him."

"I know… I just don't want to lose control out there. What if I can't help myself when I see him?" Ashley asked. "I don't want to hurt you, or the team, by accident…"

"And you won't." Keemia assured her, before kissing her forehead.

"Well, Batman, I trust you're correct in your judgement of them." Zatanna sighed, still watching the team carefully.

"I trust _you_ can locate the enemy." Batman retorted, still focused on the mission.

"Easily." Zatanna said with a small smirk. "If they got a windbag like Wotan working for them, then the plants have to have some sort of magical trace on them. Naturally, the strongest magical signal, would belong to the central control plant. Robin, could you get me a holo-map?" she asked before Tim typed out on his keyboard, generating a massive hologram of the globe.

"And now, to follow the trails to their home," Zatanna smirked as she cracked her knuckles. " **Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!** " she cast. Immediately small dots appeared on the map where a plant was attacking, before a line was drawn from each of them to a small plot of land in the middle of the Louisiana bayou. "There we go. The home base of the Injustice League."

"Coordinates locked!" Tim said as he copied down the coordinates for the Bioship.

"We are on our way." Kaldur said firmly before the teens all ran off to the Bioship with Wolf in tow. Shazam was about to head after them before Batman called him back.

"Shazam, for this plan to succeed, the entire Justice League must be seen fighting the plant creatures." Batman said firmly. "You, Zatanna, and I are needed elsewhere." He said seriously, as the magically-powered hero seemed to deflate a little before giving a reluctant nod. The League needed to put on a full frontal assault.

* * *

 **Gotham City – October 1** **st** **, 19:49 EDT**

Batman soared through the skies in his Batwing, surveying the plant before he flew in close and dropped some sort of pesticide from a compartment on the bottom of his plane. As soon as the solution touched the plant, the writhing vines ceased their movement and began to wither. With the mass of vines out of commission, Shazam took over as he tore the plant free from the ground, before taking off into the air and flying the plant out to space. Once outside the Earth's atmosphere, he spun around before hurling the dying plant towards the sun.

He wiped the dust from his hands in satisfaction before soaring back down towards Gotham, where Batman and Zatanna had gone ahead to fight even more vines that had erupted from the streets. They were joined in their efforts by Nightwing and Starfire, who came to help after realizing their hometown of Blüdhaven hadn't been put under the same siege that Gotham had.

Zatanna kept herself enclosed in a protective bubble, which burned any vines that attempted to grasp her. She held her hands out in front of her, before focusing intently as a magical circle appeared before her palms. " **Erif, kees tuo siht larutannu erutaerc!** " she cast, before massive bursts of flame erupted from the circle and burned away large sections of the vines to ashes.

The plant seemed to have even more unwelcome surprises though as suddenly, massive pods erupted all over the vines before bursting out billowing clouds of a noxious green gas. The gas flooded the streets, catching an unfortunate group of firefighters in its wake. The firefighter immediately collapsed into coughing fits before the coughing gave way to spasms, and then to fits of crippling unnatural laughter. The firefighters laughed and laughed until their bodies finally collapsed dead on the ground, wide eyes and massive, stretched grins on their faces.

Batman's eyes narrowed as Nightwing and Starfire immediately put on emergency gasmasks. Apparently, this Injustice League had seen fit to fill the plant's pods with Joker Venom. He idly wondered what other dangers lay ahead for them.

* * *

Joker observed the carnage unfolding with a grin as he chuckled. "Kobra-venom's got nothing on good old Joker Venom. I guess it's true what they say then, you really can't beat the classics." The clown mused as he articulately moved his hands around to control the plants. On his gloves there were intricate lines of glowing circuitry, matching the circuitry lines on the massive vine behind him. This was how the Injustice League was managing to control their plants around the globe all at once.

"But both work well in concert," Vertigo mused.

"Yes, but we're putting considerable strain on my baby." Ivy lamented, perched over one of the vine's massive roots before she flooded its body with restorative energy, thanks to her connection to the Green. Ultra-Humanite and Cheetah took over, using their handheld computers to power-up the circuitry on the plant, continuing their control, while Giganta grew to fifty feet tall to hold the writhing plant still. Wotan then joined, floating to the top of the vines as he held his arms out.

" **Valetudo, ut sero!** " he chanted, as his magic at once preserved the health of the plan, and strengthened the magic that connected all the plants to each other. He smiled at his handiwork before casting a genuinely soft glance towards Ivy. "We will keep her healthy and safe, Ivy. But she requires more power. Skull! Heatwave!" he ordered before the two rogues used their respective atomic energy and heat beams to power up the massive generators. A flood of energy surged through the plant as its strength was revitalised in an instant. Massive leaves and branches sprung from the plant before they grew to tremendous size, seemingly increasing its range and focus.

"Stunning what a little teamwork can accomplish." Vertigo said confidently.

"Indubitably, my dear Count, indubitably." Joker nodded. "Huh, maybe this is why Harley insists on working with that Suicide Squad. Say Ivy, how is old Harleen anyway?" the clown asked, looking to Ivy with a half smirk.

Ivy scowled murderously in return. She knew better than anyone else just how much pain Harley went through at the Joker's hands. If she'd had her way, she would have killed the clown over it years ago. For now though, she'd need to play nice while they still worked with this team. "She's safe and happy. And away from you."

"Sounds better than I remember her." Joker pondered, tapping his chin in thought. "Last I recall, I left her behind a dumpster."

Before Ivy could snap at him, the proximity alarm for their hideaway blared. The villains all looked up in confusion. They'd thought they managed to keep all the heroes busy with their plants. Vertigo scowled before looking to Adam, Giganta, and Wotan. "Intruder alert!"

* * *

 **Bayou Bartholomew – October 1** **st** **, 18:52 CDT**

Over the thick clusters of trees and the murky waterways of the bayou, the Bioship quietly flew in camouflage mode, approaching the coordinates of the Injustice League's base of operations. In the ship itself, there was a tense atmosphere. The team was silent as they steeled themselves for what lay ahead of them. They had all dreamt of fighting the big name villains, just like their mentors, but now that they had the opportunity, they couldn't help feeling nervous.

Maybe it was the fact that they were going against ten big name opponents of the League, villains with enough skill and experience to prove troublesome or even dangerous to a seasoned hero. Or maybe they were having second thoughts, worried about their own ability to stand up to them. Now was a dangerous time to be having second thoughts though.

Robin idly examined his flying discs, examining them to make sure they were in top shape. Djinn swirled small pockets of magic between her fingers. Mannequin shaped and sculpted her hands into a variety of weapons and forms. Artemis made sure her arrows were all in functioning order. Ace attempted to calm herself with her own meditation. Red Hood was cleaning his pistols, making sure they were loaded. Coldsnap flexed her fingers in anticipation, slowly freezing small claws over her fingertips.

M'Gann was too focused on flying the Bioship to really consider how nervous she was. Superboy was petting Wolf gently, secure in the fact that his new pet could join them in the field. Kid Flash seemed unconcerned, idly eating a banana as he looked around the cockpit at his teammates. He noticed that Aqualad seemed intently focused on the bayou ahead of them, his eyes unblinking. He frowned at the tension surrounding their leader before seeing the bag under his chair. "What's in the duffle?" he asked.

Aqualad looked at the bag before giving Kid Flash a small shrug. "Plan B." was all he said.

Suddenly, M'Gann lurched forward, grasping her forehead as she groaned, almost painfully. It looked like she was quickly become nauseated. "You alright?" Superboy asked with concern. Wolf even seemed to mirror the worry on the clone's face as they looked to their Martian teammate.

"Dizzy." M'Gann answered, trying to keep her focus.

"Martians get airsick?" Robin asked curiously, as the rest of the team looked to her in concern.

"She does look a bit greener than usual," Barry mused.

"Not me, her." M'Gann answered.

"I feel fine." Artemis frowned in confusion.

"Unless you meant me, but I feel fine too." Keemia said. "There's five other hers on board right now, could you be more specific?"

"I meant the Bioship." M'Gann clarified. "She's trying to shield us from something… but…"

"But what…?" Mannequin asked, now worried. Immediately, Ace scanned the swamp with her telepathy before grimacing as she found the source.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Down below, Count Vertigo intensified the nauseating waves that he fired at the Bioship from his mind, causing the sentient vehicle to drop its camouflage as it desperately attempted to right itself in the air. Black Adam and Giganta stood on either side of the Count, both smirking when they saw the ship coming into view.

"There it is Adam, go!" Vertigo ordered, before the ruler of Kahndaq took off into the sky. He rocketed towards the ship before punching the hull, sending it careening off course as it crashed into the water, spinning wildly until it came to a slow stop. The team groaned inside, quickly recovering from their abrupt landing as massive vines, like the ones attacking the cities, suddenly ensnared the ship. They coiled around the hull, trapping the ship and slowly dragging it underwater.

As the Bioship sank, Adam landed on the roof before digging his fingers inside the walls and tearing it open with his bare hands, leaving a gaping hole in the roof. M'Gann cried out painfully as she grasped her head. "He's hurting her!"

Immediately, Superboy leapt from his seat before punching Adam across the face, sending the villain flying away across the swamp. The ship resumed sinking as water flooded through the new tear in the roof.

Artemis groaned loudly at the sight of the rapidly flooding cockpit. "No. No way am I nearly drowning three missions in a row!" the archer complained before placing a rebreather in her mouth. She then handed one to Barry, who took it with a look of genuine surprise.

"Wow… uh, thanks." He smiled before taking it gratefully.

"M'Gann, we need to get out. Open a hatch." Superboy urged as M'Gann shook off the pain from earlier. She immediately face palmed before nodding.

"Hello, Megan. Of course." She said before growing gills and swimming to the floor of the ship. With a wave of her hands, a large porthole opened for the team to escape through.

" _Out! Everyone out!_ " Aqualad ordered through their telepathic link before they all took after his lead. Once they were in the open water, the Bioship was dragged completely under water by the vines. The team made their way to dry land, but not before Aqualad halted Coldsnap. He gestured off in the opposite direction, and it didn't take too long for the girl to understand his intent. Immediately, she set off the other way, before the rest of the team came ashore to the bank.

M'Gann looked off in the water at where the Bioship sank, while Djinn quickly dried everyone with a series of simple spells. "She's in shock. She'll need time to recover." She explained before the team was assaulted by another wave of nausea, courtesy of the newly arrived Count Vertigo.

"Vertigo…" Kid Flash groaned.

" _Count_ Vertigo to you, peasant." The villain scowled. Superboy seemed to recover, moving to attack the villain. However, Black Adam soared through the trees before punching the clone back down. That was all the distraction Aqualad needed as he reached out with his water bearers, before launching a torrent as Vertigo, knocking the villain back.

" _Robin, Hood, Miss Martian, disappear."_ He ordered telepathically. " _We will keep them busy. You three fulfil the mission objective._ "

M'Gann took the opportunity to turn invisible, just as Adam punched Aqualad across the jaw. Wolf launched forwards, biting the villain's forearm before being thrown back into Artemis and Kid Flash, knocking them into the water.

Mannequin and Ace moved to help them before the fifty-foot tall form of Giganta suddenly appeared, looming overhead. "Going somewhere?" the titanic woman asked before swinging a fist down at them. Ace dodged to the side, while Mannequin simply stayed put. Giganta's fist landed on her body, squashing her clay underneath with massive pressure, causing the villainess to grimace. "Ugh, gross."

Suddenly the mud seeped through her fingers to reveal Mannequin, completely unharmed. "You pulling your punches there?" she asked playfully.

"N-no you… shut up!" Giganta yelled before a beam of magical energy struck her face. She fell back into the water, only to look up and see Djinn floating above her, the same magical energy crackling between her fingers before she was joined by Ace and Mannequin.

"Alright girls, let's take her down!" Djinn grinned before suddenly turning around and conjuring a hasty shield. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to hold back the blast of magic Wotan sent her way, as the shield broke, sending the girls into the water.

"Amateur. Though I must admit, there is potential within you." Wotan chuckled lightly.

"Ugh… at least you're nicer than that stupid witch boy…" Keemia grimaced before rising to fight him, while Ace and Mannequin found themselves occupied with the newly risen Giganta.

* * *

 **Paris – October 2** **nd** **, 01:55 CEST**

The Eiffel Tower found itself under siege from one of the many large plant monsters, as the massive vines erupted from the ground before wrapping themselves firmly around the tower. The vines tightened and constricted around the bars, trapping frightened citizens within.

Luckily, the Justice League was quick to respond to the crisis. Salamandra and Shocker were already on the ground, keeping further vines from attacking the citizens. Overhead, Martian Manhunter flew in before dropping Aquaman onto the tower. The Atlantean king tore through the plant while the Martian phased through to the tower within.

Vine after vine was torn loose before finally, the people trapped inside were exposed to the open air. Aquaman set to work helping them out as Martian Manhunter flew through the open hole with the injured. Soon they were joined by Steel and Aztek, who assisted in moving the people to safety.

* * *

 **Taipei – October 2** **nd** **, 07:56 CST**

Flash raced along the ground, cutting through vines at supersonic speed as he ran around the foundations of a nuclear power plant that was being attacked by the villainous flora. Rhino and Booster Gold kept an opening clear while Vibe and Mirage helped the workers to escape.

Blue Devil meanwhile, was focused entirely on the vines that were constricting the cooling towers. He planted his trident firmly in the ground before firing a massive burst of magical energy, completely obliterating one of the plant's many tendrils. He smirked as the pressure from the plant decreased, only to gasp in horror as another massive ball of roots erupted from the earth before destroying the reactor core.

Alarms blared as an explosion was imminent, nuclear fallout threatening to spill for miles around as the heroes looked on helplessly. Luckily, Captain Atom arrived just in time to alleviate the pressure. Garbed in his latest and most durable suit yet, he absorbed the entirety of the radioactive energy before flying off to release it into space, away from where it could harm people.

With the nuclear crisis averted, Blue Devil set back to blasting the plants. The last of the workers had been safely removed, so now there was no worry for injury as he blasted the roots with all the energy he could muster.

* * *

 **Tokyo, Japan – October 2** **nd** **, 08:59 JST**

Looker unleashed the full might of her telekinesis as she tore through a mass of vines that was attacking the numerous tanker ships in Tokyo harbour. None of the plants that got close could even touch her, thanks to Black Orchid and Constantine working to whither them as they approached.

In the sky above, Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. soared through the air, blasting any errant vines, before seeing a massive one erupt near the Tokyo Tower. "Ty, we got a big one out here!" Stargirl called into her communicator.

"I'm on it babe!" Longshadow called back before growing to two-hundred feet tall and using his strength to pull the whole plant free from the ground, before tossing it across the city and into the ocean. His work wasn't done as more vines burst forth, but he tied them together into a tight ball, before leaving it for Stargirl to destroy with the energy from her staff.

* * *

 **Star City – October 1** **st** **, 16:57 PDT**

It was in the middle of rush hour traffic that another one of the giant plants erupted from the water beneath the Star City Bridge, before attacking the panicked citizens stuck on to road. The colossal vines strangled and bent the towers and foundation, as smaller tendrils started moving to grasp cars full of scared bystanders.

Luckily, Green Arrow arrived on the scene quickly, with Red Arrow by his side. The two archers fired a quick volley of explosive arrows, completely incinerating a cluster of vines that was pulling on the suspension cables. Huntress and Question were nearby, moving citizens to safety, while intermittently firing at any plants that harassed them.

One of the vehicles under attack was a school bus full of panicked students. The vines crept along the sides and roof before Black Canary leapt aboard and started destroying them with her shrill Canary Cry. The high intensity sound waves cut a swathe through the vines, freeing the bus. Unfortunately, the plant was quick to counterattack and swiped the blonde bombshell off of the roof of the bus, where she was caught by Green Arrow before she could hit the pavement.

* * *

"Hey Ivy, guess this means we both have green thumbs, ha!" Joker cackled as he watched his chaos unfold. With a flick of his wrist, another tendril slammed down onto the bridge, shaking the entire foundation of the structure. "And it's so easy too. Who knew it would be so much fun taking up gardening?"

"It's impressive too. How you simultaneously juggle multiple scenarios." Ivy commented, rather reluctantly. As much as she hated to admit it, the clown really was exceptional at causing the chaos they needed.

"Well, you know how clowns are with juggling." Joker laughed. "And you all said I wasn't a team player."

"I'll be honest here, I still don't." Skull admitted, as Heatwave gave a curt nod in agreement.

"Oh pish-posh, of course I can work with a team. I did it before with Lex, just ask Ultra-Humanite!" Joker scoffed.

"As much as I hate to admit it… he is right on that account." Ultra-Humanite admitted. He remembered far back when he and Lex formed the first Secret Society upon their escape from prison almost eight years ago. Granted, Humanite never once thought he would leave what he considered the relative comfort of his cell again for such an endeavour, but Vertigo managed to convince him. In any case, he felt this group to be a more competent one than the Society he originally formed.

Joker seemed to nod in satisfaction before frowning to himself. "Skull old boy… do you ever just wake up and think to yourself, 'if only things had turned out differently'?"

"What are you talking about?" Skull asked him in confusion.

"Oh, you know! If only I had walked a different path, maybe my hands wouldn't be so covered in blood… Maybe I'd even be, good…." Joker continued, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps I'd even join the Justice League, if not for just one… bad… day…"

Skull actually stopped to consider it, absentmindedly powering up the generator as he did. He thought back to fighting the parademons alongside the Justice League, how good it felt to save the day. The only reason he could remember being a villain was because of the accident that gave him his powers… he honestly couldn't remember why he decided to be a criminal any more. Maybe the Joker… was right? "Huh, well actually-"

"Me neither, ha!" Joker grinned before collapsing into a fit of laughter. After taking a moment to collect himself, he returned his attention to the school bus on the Star City Bridge. "Oh right, the job. Huh, wonder if these kids ever learned about gravity…?"

* * *

Under the Joker's control, another massive vine reached down before grasping the defenseless school bus and slowly lifting it into the air. The children inside screamed while Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Huntress all fired their arrows at the plant, in a vain attempt to get it to release them. The vine seemed unfazed, and the children inside screamed as the massive plant swung the bus off of the side of the bridge and towards the ocean below.

The heroes all ran to the edge off the bridge, looking on in horror, only to see the bus get caught by a giant baseball-glove made of green light energy. Guy Gardner then flew out from under the bridge, giving the other Leaguers a lazy salute as he carried the bus safely back to the bridge where the road was clear. After another small salute to the bus driver, the panicked children were driven away to safety as the Lantern returned to assist in fighting the plant.

* * *

Unfortunately for the Team, their luck was nowhere near as good. Between the combined forces of Black Adam, Giganta, Count Vertigo, and Wotan, as well as their disorientation from the crash of their ship, the team was in no shape to fight back. All of them were beaten quite handily and left unconscious on the ground, even Wolf. Keemia however, had been placed in magical chains by Wotan, as he didn't trust the young sorceress to not have a few extra tricks up her sleeve in case she woke up. Case and point, he observed the stored magic wand he found in her coat pocket with interest before snapping it neatly into two pieces.

"There, no trouble." The sorcerer declared as Adam returned with an unconscious Superboy, unceremoniously dumping the clone in the dirt next to his team. Vertigo looked over the team with a small nod before frowning. Something seemed wrong. He quickly did a head count before his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Three are missing!" he scowled, noting the absence of Robin, Red Hood, and Miss Martian.

* * *

Not far away from where Vertigo and his cronies were standing over the fallen members of the team, Robin led Miss Martian and Red hood through the dark underbrush of the swamp. The mud stuck to his boots, but made no noise as he expertly navigated through the rough terrain. M'Gann floated behind him, still under her invisibility, while Jason took the rear, his vision kept sharp as he watching for any ambushes that might come their way.

" _I've lost contact with Aqualad and the others. Should we…?"_ M'Gann asked telepathically, before Robin cut her off.

" _Sorry, that's not the gig. This is."_ He said adamantly, before pushing aside the branches of a bush to reveal the base of operations for the Injustice League. " _The Injustice League central control system._ _Looks like that plant is acting as an antenna to control the other plants worldwide."_ He noted, looking to the enormous vine that grew out of the central dome of the building.

" _I'm sure the others are okay. We'll just need to rendezvous with them later._ " Hood assured M'Gann, before something caught his vision from the corner of his eye. A plant off to the side slowly moved to reveal two glowing amber eyes. " _Look out-!"_

He tried to draw his pistols but was tackled to the ground by Cheetah, who dove out of the bushes from their right flank. Robin and Miss Martian turned in time to see massive vines erupting from the earth and wrapping around their bodies tightly. "Well hello," Ivy greeted with a smug and sultry voice, as she placed her hands on her hips.

Ultra-Humanite dove down from the trees behind her, holding a grenade launcher that he in turn aimed towards Robin. "And goodbye…" the Gotham rogue smirked, thinking she had the two of them trapped within the coils of her vines as they feebly struggled.

M'Gann levelled a glare to Ultra-Humanite before her telepathy took over his mind, forcing him to shoot the roots of the attacking plants instead. As a result, the two teens were blasted free from the coils of the plants. The explosions also provided enough of a distraction for Red Hood to kick Cheetah off of him, as the feline villain attempted to claw at his helm. The villainess flew through the air, colliding with Ultra-Humanite as the three teens made a retreat into the bush.

Ivy was unfazed as she simply watched the escaping heroes with a scowl. "Sorry Boy Wonder, but I'm putting an end to your little reconnaissance mission." She smirked before raising her hands as even more vines tore out of the ground to attack them. Robin nimbly jumped upon the massive gnarled roots, using them as a springboard to take to the trees. He twisted through the air, avoiding the spires of more of the fiendish flora, drawing Ivy's attention away from his team mates.

Red Hood led Cheetah into the thicker branches and foliage of the surrounding swamp, using the low-lying branches to try and slow her down as he avoided her sweeping claws. One swipe bounced off of his helmet dully, allowing him to retaliate with a quick roundhouse-kick to her ribs. The feline villain grunted and tumbled on the ground, righting herself before she swept low to knock Hood on his back. She then pounced on him, holding him down as one of her hands grasped his throat beneath the helmet.

"Did you really think you could outrun an apex predator in her natural habitat?" she asked with amusement evident in her voice.

"Maybe, but I don't intend to run. Just fight." Jason grunted as he stared her down. "And when I fight, I aim to hurt!" He yelled before suddenly kicking the heel of his boot down onto her tail, hearing a sickening pop as he crushed the bones into the mud. Cheetah shrieked in pain, her grip loosening before he threw her aside into a ball of gnarled roots and once again rushed into the swamp to disappear from her view.

"Oh you little brat!" Cheetah snarled before lunging after him again, rushing past Ultra-Humanite ho was attempting to knock Miss Martian out of the sky with his grenade launcher. The Martian girl avoided nimbly the oncoming barrage of bombs, turning invisible as she continued her evasive flight through the trees in an attempt to escape the villains' ambush.

* * *

Back in Gotham, Batman flew in wide arcs in the Batwing around yet another writhing mass of vines. He focused all of his resources on hand to attacking the plant, while Starfire and Nightwing continued ground evacuations. With the overpass the plant had taken over now mostly empty, it was safer for Batman to use the heavier weaponry on his plane.

Unfortunately for him, the plants seemed to be more resilient than ever, and one erratically flailing root swung at the plane, destroying it with ease. Batman glided to safety just in time, while Zatanna floated over in a protective bubble of magic.

" **Niatnoc eht erutaerc!** " She called out, clapping her hands together as a massive barrier of energy encircled and contained the vines. Some of the vines had been severed by the sudden formation of the bubble and were now writhing in agony on the road. One of the severed vines lashed out and struck an unfortunate driver who had only just escaped his truck, sending him over the edge of the overpass.

Luckily for the driver, a new hero arrived on the scene. Plastic Man was a relative newcomer to the heroic community, having only recently started his own crusade against crime. His malleable elastic body formed a trampoline to break the driver's fall safely, before he caught him and set him down on the ground.

Then, with a broad grin and a thumbs up, Plastic Man stretched to reach the top of the overpass, searching for any more stranded civilians in need of rescue.

* * *

In Paris, the vines seemed to be focusing on the Eiffel Tower almost in retaliation to the Justice League's attempts to stop them. The massive plants swung and lashed out at any hero who got close, as well as any rescue vehicles that attempted to assist in the cleanup.

One news chopper was unfortunate enough to get too close while Martian Manhunter was too busy keeping another gnarled mass of roots from crushing a crowd of fleeing civilians. The camera man and reporter were knocked out of the chopper and into a freefall, until a sudden streak of pink light shot onto the scene and rescued them. This was Rocket, another young hero who had arrived with her own mentor, Icon, to assist the Justice League.

Icon caught the helicopter as it spiraled to the ground, saving the pilots inside as he carefully set it onto the rooftop. The hero had seen the chaos unfolding on the news and had immediately offered his assistance, along with numerous other heroes who had arrived to help where they could.

* * *

Kaldur slowly stirred, his head still throbbing gently from the overwhelming nausea Vertigo had subjected him to, as well as the powerful blow Black Adam had struck him with. He rose carefully and looked around to see his team in similar states. Keemia had been bound in magical shackles that stopped her from casting, and Annie was restrained by similar chains, which kept her body solid. The entire team were suspended in a large cage made of magic, which was being flown through the air by Wotan.

Adam flew underneath, helping to support the cage, while Giganta walked alongside. Count Vertigo stood atop the roof, frowning. "They awaken. You're certain this will hold them?"

"The cage is impenetrable." Wotan said confidently. "Even the Superboy has no chance of escaping."

"You are not the only one trained in the mystic arts, Wotan." Aqualad scowled before grasping the bars of the cage, attempting to flood them with his own bioelectrical magic as he pulled on them. Unfortunately, it was a vain effort as the energy quickly left him.

"Please, Atlantean, do not pretend you're in my League." Wotan laughed.

"You're devoting an awful lot of concentration to your spells here," Djinn mused dryly. "Don't you think that's a little too taxing?"

Wotan let out a hearty chuckle at that. "You have a point young one, but there is still much for you to learn about the mystic arts."

"Speaking of "young", don't you think we were a little too hard on them? They're just kids." Giganta pointed out with a frown.

"Children or not, they are still meddling in our affairs, likely at the request of the League." Vertigo said with a scowl. "Such insolence will not stand. Even if the perpetrators are children."

Giganta looked to Vertigo, her eyes reflecting a lingering doubt, before she cast the team a look of slight regret. No matter how many times it would be said, she still thought using this level of force on children was… wrong. But for now, she kept her mouth shut. After all, it would be her against the entire Injustice League if she said anything else.

* * *

In the swamp below, Robin's escape from Poison ivy was beginning to take its toll on his energy. His speed was waning, and his balance was starting to take a hit as he leapt over and along numerous fallen trees to escape her attacking flora. His footing slipped on one landing and that was enough for Ivy to catch up, destroying the log he was standing on and sending the boy wonder crashing into the muddy earth.

He slid along the ground, mud caking his cape and costume, before looking up to see dozens of sharpened, thorny branches preparing to attack him. As they struck at him, they were suddenly ripped apart by telekinetic force as Miss Martian flew in close, still under her invisibility.

" _Robin, she's made contact."_ She said telepathically.

" _Um, which she? We've got like six."_ Robin asked, confused as to who she meant.

" _Actually, seven._ " She answered with a smirk, just as the cage that held their teammates was flown overhead. Robin followed her glance in time to see the Bioship suddenly rocket from the trees and collide with Wotan, sending the sorcerer crashing down into the water of the bayou. The magical energy of the cage disappeared, along with the bindings on Keemia and Annie, as the teens were sent into a freefall alongside Count Vertigo.

Adam immediately dove down to catch Vertigo, as the Vlatavan villain growled in anger. "Not me, stop those delinquents!" he ordered. Adam passed Vertigo on to Giganta, who set the villainous leader on her shoulder, before she and Adam charged after the team.

Superboy and Wolf were the first to land on the ground safely. Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Artemis followed next, while Djinn floated down with Ace and Annie brought up the rear. Once on the ground, Djinn summoned her staff to her hand as the team took point. The splashes caused by their landing attracted the attention of Ultra-Humanite, diverting his attention away from the search for Miss Martian.

Superboy fixed the villain with a glare as Wolf bared his fangs and growled dangerously. "I hate monkeys."

"I hate Kryptonians." Ultra-Humanite retorted before Superboy and Wolf lunged at the villain, forcing the ape on the defensive. The sudden commotion also attracted the attention of Poison Ivy, who emerged from the trees and glanced at Aqualad and Artemis with a smirk. She summoned massive tendrils of foliage, prepared to strike as Artemis and Aqualad instinctively reached for their weapons, only to remember they were missing.

"Ugh, I feel naked. And not in a fun way," Artemis groaned in annoyance, as Ivy rose on a throne of thorns before assaulting them with her vines. The first one was narrowly dodged by Kaldur, slamming into the mud behind him before the Atlantean held it in place with his right hand, and chopped through it with a single blow from his left.

"We will make our own fun, as we have been trained. Maneuver seven!" he ordered, lowering his hands as Artemis gave him a nod of understanding. She ran forward, before using his hands as a springboard, as Kaldur launched her over another mass of vines. Tumbling and flipping through the air, she took Ivy by surprise, striking the villainess in the face with her boot.

"How're you feeling?" Keemia asked Ace, before conjuring a shield of magic to protect them from the sudden stream of fire that the newly arrived Heatwave launched at them.

"Pretty good. Want me to focus on him?" she asked curiously.

"If you can back me up with him that would be great." She smirked before looking up and suddenly pulling Ace close to her. " **Tropelet su ot ytefas.** " She cast hastily, as the two were teleported out of the way of Giganta's massive fist, which struck the ground behind where they were standing just moments before. They reappeared a few feet away in time to see Vertigo landing in front of Kid Flash with Black Adam's assistance.

"New plan, I take the fifty-foot villain, and you can take Heatwave." Keemia decided hurriedly before taking to the air again, as Ace used her telekinesis to project Heatwave's flames away from her and back into his fire retardant uniform.

"Yeah, good plan." Ace grimaced as she and Heatwave stood in a deadlock with each other.

Kid Flash, rushed past his team mates as he ran straight for Vertigo, intent on taking him out quickly. The refined villain had other plans however, and sent another wave of nausea at the speedster. Kid Flash stumbled and groaned at the sudden wave of dizziness, slowing to a stop right in front of the villain before Adam backhanded him away with ease.

Vertigo frowned in worry as he watched the battle unfold. "Where are the bat's children and the Martian?" he asked with a grimace, before avoiding a sudden hail of gunfire as Red Hood lunged from the bushes, still avoiding the rapid slashes courtesy of Cheetah.

"Sorry about that, we were just decorating your Christmas tree," he snarked as Annie came to his assistance, knocking Cheetah away with a massive mallet. The villain flew backwards, before easily landing on her feet with a snarl. As she rushed them again, she would suddenly find her legs frozen in ice as Coldsnap emerged from the water with a smirk.

"There was another?!" Vertigo cried in alarm, as Hood and Mannequin quickly moved to Coldsnap's side to give her support as Cheetah broke free from the ice.

"And where were you?" Jason asked as Niuhi pointed a thumb behind her.

"I thought the Christmas tree could use a little snow."

Ivy used her vines to deflect another blow from Artemis, before suddenly flinching and grasping her chest in pain. She glanced behind her before gasping in horror. "My baby!"

The other villains spared glances to see what had her worried, only to see the large central control plant frozen solid and adorned with explosives, courtesy of Red Hood, Coldsnap, Robin, and Miss Martian. The bombs beeped and blinked with green lights before suddenly detonating all at once. The resulting blast was massive, and thanks to a combination of the explosion and the sudden shock of the freezing cold ice, the plant writhed in pain before collapsing dead in a burning heap.

Standing at the top of the villains' base, on the burning husk of the plant, were Miss Martian and Robin. The two wore triumphant smirks as they gazed down at the villains. "Timber." Robin said, before folding his arms as the smoke billowed around them.

Ivy's eye twitched before she cried out in anger, summoning a mass of thorny vines and launching them at the two young heroes with a yell of anguish. Miss Martian flew forward and stopped the vines with her telekinesis before shredding them with ease. Her victory was short lived as a sudden burst of energy slammed into her from behind, as Atomic Skull and Joker emerged from the building onto the roof.

"Children? Children foiled our plan?" Joker said incredulously as Atomic Skull rushed after a fleeing Robin. "Inconceivable, Unacceptable, retributionable!" He declared before pausing and cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Huh, actually that last one might not be a word… eh, whatever." He shrugged before cackling like a madman and rushing to join the fray.

Vertigo watched the team with narrowed eyes as Ivy and Adam moved to back him up. "Kill them." He ordered. "Kill them all."

At his command, the two leapt back into action. Robin landed on the ground, helping Miss Martian up before the two dodged out of the way of another beam of crackling energy fired by Atomic Skull who continued his pursuit of the team. He would be met with a powerful punch to the face, courtesy of Mannequin, as the young heroine soon started to exchange blows with him, her malleable clay body keeping her relatively safe from his radioactive blasts.

Ivy's barrage of plants was met by Coldsnap firing off beams of ice to freeze them, before she shattered them with frozen claws. The Villainess growled before forming a massive fist made of foliage and launching it at the cryokinetic, sending Niuhi flying from the force of the blow. Superboy ad Wolf were backed into a tree by Ultra-Humanite, as the ape charged at them. Wolf was soon left alone with the gorilla as Black Adam rocketed forwards and tackled Superboy into a large tree to separate the clone.

Artemis soon found herself under assault from Vertigo's mental attacks, leaving her pinned on the ground as Kid Flash stood up shakily. "Leave her alone," the speedster said weakly before being struck in the back by magical energy.

"Enough!" Wotan yelled, as the sorcerer once again rose from the swamp. He easily shielded himself from two of Robin's explosive disks, before he sent a massive barrage of magical lightning towards the young heroes. The team soon found themselves knocked away from the villains and pinned as the lightning caused them to cry out in anguish, writhing in pain.

Djinn weakly summoned a shield to try and protect herself from the barrage, while Aqualad attempted to absorb the lightning. Even Mannequin found herself to be weak to the assault as the lightning coursed through her clay body. With the young heroes pinned, Adam smirked dangerously as he advanced on the vulnerable Robin with malicious intent, cracking his knuckles as the young hero was defenseless.

"Adam, NO!" Giganta yelled before suddenly kicking him with all the force she could muster, sending the dictator of Kahndaq flying several miles away from the sheer force of the blow.

"Traitor!" Vertigo accused as Giganta leered down at the villain.

"They're just kids, Vertigo!" she said defiantly, before shrinking her height down to twenty feet to shield Robin's body from the lightning. She grimaced and bit her lip to keep from crying in pain as he reached out and pulled Ace in front of her to shield her as well.

Vertigo scoffed before looking to Wotan. "Kill her with the children, Wotan. She has made her choice."

The sorcerer nodded before increasing the power in his lightning. Djinn strengthened her shield, extending it to cover Barry and Artemis, while Kaldur held out his hands, absorbing the lightning as he stood over Miss Martian to protect her.

"Plan B." he said seriously, before Miss Martian gave a nod of understanding, telepathically calling for the Bioship. It responded to her commands, flying overhead before opening a hatch to drop the duffel bag in Kaldur's hands. He caught it easily, opening it to reveal a golden helmet.

Wotan stopped his assault as he looked at the helmet warily. "The Helmet of Fate…"

"You didn't…" Keemia breathed in shock as Barry looked to him with a grimace.

"No Aqualad, don't!" he yelled, before a returning Black Adam arrived, delivering a wicked haymaker to send him flying back into a tree, where Barry's arm broke with a sickening crunch. Conner responded in kind with his own punch to Black Adam's face before Kaldur put the helmet on.

There was a bright golden glow as Kaldur was transformed into Dr. Fate, the teenager taking to the air to meet Wotan head on.

"Oh dude… no." Barry whispered, cradling his arm gently as he watched his friend in worry.

"Wotan, you are mine!" Dr. Fate declared in an imposing voice before he and Wotan exchanged powerful blasts of energy. The struggle was powerful but brief, as Fate's magic broke through Wotan's, sending the villain flying back into the ruins of the building before he was bound in chains.

With the barrage having ended, Giganta looked down at Ace and Robin with concern. "You two alright?" she asked, her back still smoking from where the lightning struck her.

"Yes… thank you." Ace nodded, unsure of the woman's intentions as she tried to steady Robin on his feet.

Giganta gave a small nod as she smiled in relief. "Thank goodness… I hate to see kids get hurt. That's a line I just can't cross…" she admitted, before being sucker punched by Black Adam, as she flew backwards from the force of the blow. Adam followed after her, being pursued closely by Mannequin and Superboy as another set of footsteps can be heard walking through the mud.

"Incredible! Simply incredible! Look at all the guest stars I'm getting on my welcome back special!" Joker laughed as he looked at the two young heroes, drawing two switch blades from his jacket's pockets.

"Oh no…" Ace whispered in terror as she took a tentative step back.

"Aw. What's the matter sweetie? Still upset over what I did to your head? Ha ha, well you might want to be specific there, because well… I did a lot." The clown chuckled before he turned to Robin. "In any case, I've killed one Robin, let's try for another, Hm?"

Robin shoved Ace out of the way of one swipe, before he too dodged Joker's assault of blades. The crazed villain cackled as he chased the boy wonder all through the muddy water, ignoring the other fights around him as he focused on the lone hero.

"Come now, let's not be hasty! You're the guest tonight, you get preferential treatment!" he laughed before Red Hood suddenly launched a kick at his face, knocking the clown to the ground. Joker held his jaw before looking up to Red Hood. "Now that was just rude."

"You deserve worse than that," Hood snarled, baring his pistols. "Much worse."

"You seem familiar. Have I threatened you before?" Joker asked, standing up.

"Yes. And now, it's payback time." Hood growled, narrowing his eyes before him and Robin both launched simultaneous attacks on Joker, leaving the villain on the defensive.

Ace was left grasping her head in a panic, seizing up anxiously as horrible memories of her torture at the hands of the Joker returned to her in force. She just couldn't escape the welling panic she felt inside of her as she started hyperventilating.

"Uh… you okay kid?" Heatwave asked curiously as he walked up to Ace. The girl didn't seem to notice him as she was too focused on her own mind to pay him any attention. Soon enough, she was knocked out of her mental anguish when she heard Keemia crying out in pain. She looked up to see Keemia being assaulted from behind by Cheetah's claws, while Vertigo held her down with his nausea wave.

"Kid…?" Heatwave asked again as he saw Ace stand up, murderous intent in her eyes. Next thing he knew, he was launched backwards by a powerful burst of telekinesis, colliding with Ivy as the villainess was mid battle with Coldsnap and Mannequin. Ace then flew forwards with a yell as she flung Cheetah away with another powerful telekinetic blast.

"Get away from her!" she yelled, landing behind Vertigo before she glared at the villain. The look in her eyes sent shivers down his spine before he put on a face of bravado.

"It is futile to stand against us." He sneered before launching a telepathic assault. To his surprise, he found himself not only matched, but over-powered by Ace's own counterassault. He grunted in frustration, cursing himself for underestimating the girl before he engaged in a telepathic battle of wills.

Wotan struggled against the magical chains, his anger building as he fixed Dr. Fate with a murderous scowl. " **Solvo quod revert.** " He cast, shattering them with sudden renewed strength, before he sent them flying towards Dr. Fate as makeshift spears. Fate blocked the chains and absorbed their energy with a massive ankh as Wotan flew to approach him again. "Wotan has prepared for your return, Doctor. **Fulmina venite!** " he roared, sending a powerful blast of magical fire at Fate. The ankh held for a moment, before suddenly shattering at the assault, sending Fate flying back from the force. He quickly righted himself in the air, before his eyes glowed and he soared back to battle.

Ivy attempted in vain to strike at Miss Martian with vines and other dangerous flora. However, while the Martian girl was invisible, she avoided her assault with ease. "I can't see you Martian, but perhaps I'll hear you scream."

Vertigo looked to Ivy, keeping a fraction of his power focused on holding Ace back as he raised a hand. "And perhaps I can be of some assistance, Miss Isley." He smirked before firing another wave of nausea from his hand, forcing M'Gann to become visible again. M'Gann groaned in pain before falling to the ground, but the victory was short lived as Kid Flash suddenly sped by, disorienting Vertigo as he tore a strip from the villain's cloak.

Vertigo spun in place, before being subject to Ace's full assault which left him powerless to avoid a violent kick to the face courtesy of Artemis. The young archer sent vertigo crashing into Ivy, putting both villains down on the ground, before she moved to where Barry was sheltering behind the trunk of a tree.

Barry looked at her before groaning in disdain as she took the shred of the cloak from his grasp. "Hey, that's my souvenir!"

"Hold still," Artemis admonished him simply, before she tied the strip of cloth around his body like a sling in order to keep his broken arm from moving too violently. Kid Flash was about to say something, before Wolf was sent flying into her.

"Artemis!" he yelled before narrowly avoiding a punch from Ultra-Humanite, as the ape's massive fist collided with the trunk. It was him that had sent Wolf flying into Artemis in the first place, and now he had turned his attention to Barry with a roar of frustration.

Fate and Wotan flew through the air, engaged in a magical, aerial dogfight as they exchanged powerful bursts of magic. "Surrender, sorcerer. You cannot hope to defeat a Lord of Order!" Fate cried out before launching a burst of magic in the shape of an ankh to strike at Wotan.

Wotan held out his hands, absorbing the magic before he teleported behind Fate. He then released the same energy he had just absorbed to strike at the Lord of Order. "I can defeat you, and I will!" he yelled.

" **Ekirts natoW nwod!** " A woman's voice called, as Wotan turned, only for a massive fist made of magic to strike him in the face, breaking his jaw with an audible crunch. The villainous sorcerer was sent careening to the ground, as Zatanna arrived on a platform made of magic, surrounded by numerous other members of the League. "Not tonight Wotan!"

The teens gathered together on the ground, standing in a huddled group to defend each other from the villains, just as dozens of League members and associates arrived on the scene to back them up. In total, there had to be nearly forty heroes gathered together, as they surrounded the villains.

Batman sent a glance over to the team, his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw an unconscious Giganta reduced to her base size, and tended to carefully by an injured Djinn. "We need help for her here, Batman." Djinn groaned. "She helped us, we should return the favour." She said weakly.

Before Batman could answer, Shocker and Zatanna rushed over to the kids. Shocker took Giganta from their hands while Zatanna set to work with healing injuries. "Darlin', can you hear me?"

Giganta groaned softly before opening her eyes. "Hey Tex… I kept the kids safe." She said slowly as he gave a short chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah you did." He nodded.

Seeing the villains surrounded, Batman returned his attention to them. "It's over." He declared. True to his word, the plants had all withered away to decayed husks as soon as the central one was destroyed. Seeing his alliance surrounded by the League's united front, Vertigo slowly raised his hands in surrender, alongside his compatriots, sans Giganta.

"There will be another day." The villain muttered with a scowl.

"Another day? You mean we're giving up? What are we, France?!" Joker asked in disbelief. "That's not how Joker TV ends a broadcast; we go out, with a boom!" he cackled before raising his hands and suddenly spawning dozens more of the vines from the water, Joker venom pouring out of them in a thick, noxious cloud.

"Joker Venom spores, don't breathe!" Batman ordered before he struck the Joker across the face, knocking the villain unconscious to prevent him producing any more.

The cloud continued to billow around them threateningly, until Dr. Fate rose above them and summoned a massive ankh. "Fear not, fate has intervened!" He declared as the gas was absorbed into the ankh and safely destroyed.

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Kid Flash exclaimed in anger. "How could you let him put on the Helmet? Nabu will never release him now!"

"What are you talking about, Barry?" Keemia asked with a grimace, examining the bandages that were wrapped around her arm where Cheetah had clawed her.

"When I put the helmet on, Nabu tried to hold onto me. He said the world needed a Dr. Fate. The only reason he let me go is because he knew that I had no magical training." Barry ranted. "But Kaldur's gonna be trapped forever now!"

As he said that, there was a flash of golden light as Dr. Fate removed the helmet, reverting back into Kaldur's body. Barry looked at him in shock before rushing forwards. "Nabu let you go?"

"He almost did not," Kaldur admitted with a whisper. "But your friend Kent was most helpful. He says hello." Barry grinned in response before Batman called their attention again.

"We're done here." Batman declared. "The latest Super-Villain Secret Society has been neutralized. As for your performance…" he trailed off, as the team looked at him expectantly. There was an extended silence before he continued. "… It was satisfactory."

The team couldn't help but chuckle at that as Ashley and Keemia hugged each other in relief. "Thank goodness, I'd hate to be called a failure after a mission like that." Keemia laughed.

"Me too… but do you really think it's over now?" Ashley asked, unsure. "And, does Batman think so?"

"Nah, Batman never thinks it's over. He'll be perusing clues to find any greater link, you can set your watch by it." Keemia snorted. "But for now, I at least think we have a small break." She mused before pulling her into a kiss.

"Guess that means date night." Ace giggled. "Did you know I find battle scars attractive?"

"Oh? Well in that case, I hope I can keep mine." She laughed before the couple walked with the team back to the Bioship. The League continued their cleanup as they watched them, before Supergirl and Sandman nudged Superman.

The Man of Steel turned to see the two of them, plus Power Girl and Spider-Man, watching expectantly. He understood their intent and braced himself before approaching the team.

"Superboy… I mean, Conner…" he called out. At that, the entire team stopped in shock. Not once had they ever heard Superman refer to Conner by his name. Superboy in particular was shocked as he looked to the team, before carefully approaching the Man of Steel.

"Yeah?" he asked pointedly, his voice holding a small twinge of hope.

"I just…. I wanted to say I'm sorry. For how I treated you." Superman said ashamedly, looking at the ground. "I let my own fears cloud my judgement, and you suffered for it. I know we won't be quite as close now as we could be… but for what it's worth… we could at least start over." He offered, extending his hand to the young clone.

Superboy couldn't hold his mask anymore and looked at his extended hand with shock. He hesitated for a moment, wanting nothing more than to continue to hate him. But underneath it all… he finally had what he truly wanted; acceptance. With a small nod, he reached out and shook Superman's hand.

"Cousin Clark… I'm Conner. Conner Marko." He said softly.

Superman flinched slightly before nodding. "Cousin Conner, I'm Clark Kent. It's nice to finally meet you properly."

After a moment, the two released their grip on each other, before hugging close. Flint watched with a smile seeing Conner finally getting his closure. He wasn't too sure, but he could have sworn he heard the clone crying, but that was okay. He needed this.

Conner finally had his family back.

* * *

 **Belle Reve Penitentiary – October 1** **st** **, 23:21 CDT**

"Huh, guess the plant attacks are over then," Wilcox mused as he entered into Warden Strange's office, carrying two mugs of coffee.

"Yes indeed. We're lucky the Justice League was able to stop them." Strange nodded as he accepted the mug and took a sip.

Wilcox snorted quietly at that before handing Strange a file that he had tucked under his arm. "Here are those files you wanted from the front desk. But, are you sure you want to let this one out on good behaviour?"

"But of course, there's no need to keep him here any longer. Besides, he's shown nothing but exemplary behaviour since the attempted breakout." Strange reasoned. "If we're really in the business of rehabilitation, then we should at least try and act like it."

"Tch, I still think it's a bad idea." Wilcox said, before leaning against the wall. "But, I suppose you know what you're doing."

"Indeed." Strange nodded before snapping his fingers as an idea came to him. "Tell you what, if he truly rehabilitates once released, you owe me lunch."

"You're on Doc." Wilcox laughed before shaking his hand. "You're on."

"Wonderful." Strange laughed. "Well, I suppose we'll see how this turns out. He'll be released on the 10th."

Wilcox nodded as he walked towards the door. "Alright, we'll see what happens then. I have to get back to my patrols now. Have a goodnight, Doctor."

"Goodnight Wilcox."

* * *

 **[Unknown Location] – [Time Redacted]**

"Impressive." A gravelly voice said, as numerous television screens displayed videos of the Justice League's battle with the plant monsters. Clips from all around the world played on repeat as the heroes were seen destroying the plants and saving civilians. Images of the Injustice league's original threat were also displayed. "The plant creatures have proven their usefulness as potential weapons."

The figure continued as it approached the screens, which now displayed a full image of the Injustice League. "More importantly, the so-called heroes now believe our Secret Society has been revealed and crushed. With the Injustice League serving as our proxies, we are once again free to operate with impunity."

The owner of the gravelly voice emerged from the shadows, revealing himself as vandal Savage. The Ancient Immortal turned to look at his compatriots; Queen Bee, Black Manta, Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor, Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Brain.

Savage looked to his allies with a triumphant smile before returning his attention to the monitors. "And the shadows still conceal our Light."

* * *

 **Boom! Five months of buildup and waiting has delivered.**

 **Was it worth it? Well, that's for you to decide.**

 **In the meantime, minor housekeeping:**

 **The Joker: His dialogue got a fucking overhaul. A MASSIVE ONE. The Young Justice version of the Joker is far and away the worst version of the character ever animated. Anyone who gives crap to the joker from The Batman has to apologize in the face of this travesty. All I had to do to fix him? Imagine him with Mark Hamill's voice and make his dialogue actually begin to sound like things the Joker would say. I don't even like the Joker that much, but I can at least say this is an improvement. Just keep him funny, that's all you need.**

 **The Injustice League: Giganta, Heatwave, and Cheetah are regular additions to any incarnation of a villainous DC team-up. They seemed natural fits.**

 **Giganta's "Redemption": Eh, it might be a full redemption. I'm undecided but I wanted to leave it open. In any case, It's there for you guys to decide. Fun fact: she and Shocker have been seeing each other behind the backs of their respective teams. Their romance shall be explored later.**

 **Black Manta: Yep, he's just replacing Ocean Master since Orm died all the way back in Season 1 of Justice League.**

 **Superman: So, the intervention has happened. But why? Well, that's a simple one. I was tired of Clark being a dick to Conner. This isn't the Young Justice Superman, this is the Superman from S:TAS, and Justice League. There's no way he would have been such a dick to Conner. I wanted it resolved and I wanted it done before the finale of the first season. They're not father and son, but cousins. That way, they can attempt to patch their relationship, while Conner is still a member of Flint's family.**

 **Belle Reve: Turns out I like Wilcox, who knew? Oh, you wanted to know about this figure getting released? Well, you'll have to find out more next time!**

 **Red Tornado returns! The team sets out to teach their former mentor a lesson, but have they bitten off more than they can chew? Who's the mysterious person released from Belle Reve? Who will they kidnap for an interrogation? And just what has Cass been up to this whole time?**

 **Tune in next time for "Humanity"!**

 **Hopefully it doesn't take anywhere near as long as this chapter did.**

 **As always, remember to read and review.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **~WafflesTheApprentice**


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